What does “shigure” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “shigure” to mean ‘(rain) shower’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word as it is sometimes used in Japanese movies, songs, novels, manga, anime, and the like. In this blog post, however, I will explain this word in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I will explain how to use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners understand “shigure” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
Definition and meanings of “shigure”
Let me start with the definition and meanings of “shigure”.
- shigure – 時雨 (しぐれ) : a noun meaning ‘(rain) shower’, especially ‘shower in early winter’, in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
The definition and meanings are not that difficult, I think. To understand this noun more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.
Shigure in kanji
The kanji expression of “shigure” consists of the following two kanji characters:
- 時 : a kanji character used to mean ‘time’ in Japanese.
- 雨 : a kanji character used to mean ‘rain’ in Japanese.
These two kanji characters tell us that “shigure” literally means ‘time rain’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is not in line with the actual meaning, but still understandable, I think. Showers are often short periods of rain and thus related to time.

When we meet new kanji expressions, we should check their kanji characters in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, kanji characters tell us a lot about the meanings of the expressions they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “shigure” through the detailed kanji check above.
So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “shigure” together with its kanji characters. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentences below.
Example #1: how to say “(rain) shower” in Japanese
watashi tachi wa kono ame wo shigure to yobu – 私達はこの雨を時雨と呼ぶ (わたしたちはこのあめをしぐれとよぶ)
We call this type of rain a shower.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
- tachi – 達 (たち) : a suffix used after a noun or pronoun to make its plural form. In the example, this is used after “watashi” to make its plural form, “watashi tachi”, which means ‘we’ in Japanese.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “watashi tachi” to make the subject in the sentence.
- kono – この : a determiner used before a noun referring to a thing close to the speaker. In the example, this is used before “ame” to say “this type of rain” in Japanese.
- ame – 雨 (あめ) : a noun meaning ‘rain’ in Japanese.
- wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “kono ame” to make the object in the sentence.
- to – と : a case particle used to say what someone or something is like. In the example, this is used after “shigure” to indicate what the rain is like.
- yobu – 呼ぶ (よぶ) : a verb meaning ‘to call’ in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “shigure”. When we want to refer to a shower of rain in Japanese, this noun can be a good option.
Example #2: another usage of “shigure”
boku wa shigure ga suki desu – 僕は時雨が好きです (ぼくはしぐれがすきです)
I love rain showers.
Below are the new words used in the example sentences.
- boku – 僕 (ぼく) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. This is used mainly by boys and young males.
- ga – が : a case particle used to make the subject word or the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “shigure” to make the object in the sentence.
- suki – 好き (すき) : the stem part of the na-adjective, “sukina”, which means ‘favorite’ in Japanese. Native speakers, however, often use this as an individual word to mean ‘to like’ or ‘to love’. In the example, this is used to mean ‘to love’.
- desu – です : an auxiliary verb used after a noun or adjective to make it polite. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese desu form. In the example, this is used after “suki” to make it sound polite.
This is another typical usage of “shigure”. In this example, it works together with the case particle, “ga”, to become the object in the sentence.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “shigure” in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- shigure – 時雨 (しぐれ) : a noun meaning ‘(rain) shower’, especially ‘shower in early winter’, in Japanese. This can also work as plural. These two kanji characters literally mean ‘time rain’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is not in line with the actual meaning, but still understandable, I think. Showers are often short periods of rain and thus related to time.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.