After autumn, some Japanese regions turn into a winter wonderland. From the northern Hokkaido to the mountains in Nagano, folks brace themselves for the possibility of heavy snowfalls that attract skiers and snowboarders.
Snowy views of Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka show up in manga and anime, but the reality is it rarely snows in Japan’s major cities. In the countryside, they’re used to tightly-packed piles of snow every morning. But mother nature can still be a jerk.
Cold never bothered me anyway
What’s it like to be living in a snowy region? Well, sometimes you’re rewarded with absolutely incredible landscapes.
雪国育ちは大変ですね。
なんか可愛いく見えてきた笑 pic.twitter.com/ewebxeqNMP— TAK (@TAK17246558) January 1, 2021
雪国育ちは大変ですね。
なんか可愛いく見えてきた笑
“Growing up in a snowy country seems hard.
But somehow this looks cute. lol”
豪雪のファミリーマート。 pic.twitter.com/bYgrSITs4U
— 京柱うさだだぬき (@usalica) January 5, 2021
豪雪のファミリーマート。
FamilyMart in heavy snowfall.
Well now you know
But sometimes, snowy weather is just simply a test of willpower to go out at all.
これはど田舎の雪国でバスを逃した人の視点です pic.twitter.com/knxmrhLoDJ
— なるべ (@kininaruberu) January 3, 2021
これはど田舎の雪国でバスを逃した人の視点です
“Here’s the view of a person missing their bus in a snowy region countryside.”
分かりますか雪国の住宅の玄関に
『風除室』が何故ついてるか。分かりますね。 pic.twitter.com/iyNrPfXrHM
— うさふー (@Grahoo) January 7, 2021
分かりますか雪国の住宅の玄関に
『風除室』が何故ついてるか。
分かりますね。
“Do you know the reason why homes in snowy regions have windbreak rooms attached to their entrance?
Now, you know.”
There’s going to be a delay
https://twitter.com/hms0929/status/1347005347320369153?s=20
JR只見線
会津柳津駅
除雪車が脱線
“JR’s Tadami line.
Aizu-Yanaizu Station.
The snowplow derailed.”
https://twitter.com/cat_0x0m/status/1345652822742765568?s=20
雪像作るか迷うレベルの高さでした
すごすぎて逆に笑い止まらなかった、
“The snow level was so high that we considered making a snow sculpture.
I couldn’t stop laughing because of how amazing (this looks).”
Japanese vocabulary to talk about snow
Let’s gently start 2021 and skip the grammar lesson for a keyword list to talk about snow in Japanese. The Japanese language has an extensive vocabulary when it comes to the weather, and there are dozens of words just to talk about snow, how it falls, how it looks, etc. For example:
- 綿雪 or “cotton snow” and refers to how snowflakes (雪片) looks like a ball of cotton.
- 灰雪 or “ash snow” like when the snow seems to dance in the air like fire ashes.
You might also be curious to learn more about the 雪女 (deceptive snow beauty) in this spooky article about Japan’s scariest ghosts and ghouls.
Luckily for you, we focused on the essential words you need to know at first.
Japanese | Romaji | English |
雪が降る | yuki ga furu | snow |
降雪 | kousetsu | snowfall |
雪が積もる | yuki ga tsumoru | pile up (snow) |
積雪 | sekisetsu | snow cover |
粉雪 | kona yuki | powdered snow |
みぞれ | mizore | sleet |
豪雪地帯 | gousetsuchitai | area with heavy snowfall |
豪雪 | gousetsu | heavy snowfall |
雪景色 | yukigeshiki | snow landscape |
雪玉 | tamayuki | snowball |
暴風雪 | boufuusetsu | Blizzard/ snow storm |
初雪 | hatsuyuki | first snow of the winter |
忘れ雪 | wasureyuki | last snow of the winter |
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