squeak
• Nezumi ga naya de hitobanjū chū chū naite iru koe ga kikoemashita.
We could hear mice squeaking in the barn all night long.
būn, bun bun buzz of a bee or horsefly
• Hachi no mure ga su kara bun bun tobitatta.
A buzzing swarm of bees flew out of the beehive.
Summer, fall, winter, spring—every year the four seasons follow one another right on schedule, almost to the day, in Japan. Granted, there are long, rainy intervals in between, when nature has to change the scenery for the next act in her drama. In spite of the predictability, or even perhaps because of it, when people meet they usually greet each other with a reference to the weather. Since it is very unlikely that disagreement will arise over whether it's fine or rainy, hot or cold, the speakers can safely establish a harmonious rapport before moving on to any thorny issues they want to discuss.
Weather assaults our senses and can deeply affect our feelings. It comes as no surprise then that there are many onomatopoeic phrases to describe how we perceive it. When someone mentions the weather, I always try to respond with a slightly unusual comment to delight and, well, impress them. Try to tuck a few of them in your memory to pull out when the chance arises. By the way, I couldn't resist including many phrases having to do with dampness. If you've lived in Japan for a while, you'll know why.
Rain and Dampness
When we lived in a Japanese-style house with no central heating or air conditioning, it could become so damp after a rainy stretch that we used to worry about finding mushrooms growing in our shoes. We still worry, even in our Western-style apartment, but it doesn't happen much anymore.
gusho gusho soaking wet, sopping wet
• Niwaka ame ni atte, kasa ga nakatta node, kaisha ni gusho gusho ni nurete tsukimashita.
Because I was caught in a sudden rainfall without an umbrella, I arrived at the office sopping wet.
gusshori drenched
• Totsuzen noō ame ni atte, karada zentai ga gusshori nurete shimaimashita.
I got soaked to the skin in the sudden downpour.
zā zā sound of a downpour, sound of a lot of water flowing (e.g., a waterfall)
When we first learned this phrase, our Japanese teacher, with great delight, translated it as "raining cats and dogs." If you've ever been in Japan during the rainy season, you'll understand why we never forgot this expression.
• Hanami ni iku yakusoku o shita hi wa, ainiku asa kara ban made ame ga zā zā furimashita.
Unfortunately, on the day we had agreed to go cherry blossom viewing, it rained cats and dogs from morning to evening.
zātto, zatto sound of a sudden downpour; roughly, approximately
• Doa o aketa totan, ame ga zatto furihajimemashita.
As soon as I opened the door, there was a sudden downpour.
shittori moist; pleasantly calm and elegant, placid, tranquil*
• Ame no ato shibafu ga shittori to nurete imashita.
The lawn was moist after the rain.
jittori moist with sweat
• Reibō ga tsuite ita heya kara deru to, mamonaku karadaju ga jittori asebande kimashita.
After I left the air-conditioned room, I soon became damp with sweat from head to toe.
shippori (affectionate lovers get) thoroughly soaked (in the rain)
• Wakai futarizure wa harusame ni shippori nuremashita.
The young couple got drenched in the spring rain.
shito shito drizzle; feel damp
• Ichinichijū ame ga shito shito to futte ita node, kekkyoku zenzen dekakemasen deshita.
All day long it drizzled and I didn't go out at all.
jito jito clammy, feel sticky with dampness
• Tsuyu no aida wa futon o yoku kawakasenai node, jito jito shita futon ni haitta toki wa kimochi ga warukatta.
During the rainy season I couldn't hang the futons out to dry properly, and it was unpleasant because they felt damp.
jime jime damp; dark, gloomy; depressed, melancholy*
In the heart of the rainy season, no other word seems to describe the atmosphere as well, especially since jime jime can also mean gloomy and dark.
• Maitoshi rokugatsu ni hairu to Nihon no jime jime shita kisetsu ga hajimaru node, watashi wa nigetaku narimasu.
Every year when June comes around I know Japan's rainy season is about to begin, and I start wanting to escape.
shobo shobo drizzle; gloomy; bleary-eyed; depressed*
• Shobo shobo furu ame ni watashi no sukāto wa sukkari nurete, darashinaku mieta node, sugu uchi e kaerimashita.
My skirt got drenched in the depressing drizzle and I looked a slovenly mess, so I went straight home.
dosha dosha sound of heavily falling rain
The word dosha is written with the kanji for earth and sand, and dosha kuzure is a landslide, a frequent occurrence in Japan after heavy rains.
• Mado o aketara dosha dosha to ame ga futte ita.
When I opened the window, the rain was pouring down in torrents.
doppuri steeped or deeply immersed in something (e.g., a bath or soy sauce); in too deep* (used with tsukaru or tsukeru)
toppuri pleasantly steeped in (used with tsukeru or tsukaru); night deepens*
• Taifū ni yoru ōame de kokumotsu wa doromizu ni doppuri tsukatte shimatta.
After the heavy rain of the typhoon, the crops were completely covered with muddy water.
• Su ni toppuri tsukatta tsukemono o gohan to issho ni tabeta.
He ate the pickles steeped in vinegar with his rice.
bara bara (rain or hail) pelts down; be thinly scattered or disorganized
• Mayonaka ni totsuzen hyō ga bara bara to furihajimeta node, patto me ga samemashita.
