What does “tenki” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “tenki” to mean ‘weather’ in Japanese. Probably, many Japanese learners know this word as it is often used in Japanese movies, 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 to better understand “tenki”. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
Definition and meaning of “tenki”
Let me start with the definition and meaning of “tenki”.
- tenki – 天気 (てんき) : a noun meaning ‘weather’ in Japanese.
Native speakers use this noun to mean ‘weather’ in Japanese. It’s also worth knowing that they use it especially in daily conversations to mean ‘good weather’ as well.
The definition and meaning are simple and clear, I think. To understand this noun more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.
Tenki in kanji
The kanji expression of “tenki” consists of the following two characters:
- 天 : a kanji character used to mean ‘the sky’ or ‘the heaven’ in Japanese. This kanji can also be found in other words like “tengoku“.
- 気 : a kanji character widely used in Japanese words related to a mood, feeling, or such in Japanese.
From these two kanji characters, we can understand that “tenki” literally means ‘the sky mood’ or ‘a mood of the sky’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is not completely in line with the meaning, but still very close, I think. It is a very good metaphor for weather, isn’t it?
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 meanings of words they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “tenki” through the detailed kanji check above.
Then, let me explain how to use “tenki” through the example sentences below.
Example #1: how to say “weather” in Japanese
kyou no tenki wa totemo ii – 今日の天気はとても良い (きょうのてんきはとてもいい)
Today’s weather is very good.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kyou – 今日 (きょう) : a noun meaning ‘today’ in Japanese.
- no – の : a case particle used to join two nouns. Normally, the first one can work as a modifier to describe the second. In the example, this is used to join “kyou” and “tenki”. The formed phrase literally means ‘today’s weather’ in Japanese.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after the noun phrase, “kyou no tenki”, to make the subject in the sentence.
- totemo – とても : an adverb of degree meaning ‘so’, ‘very’, ‘much’, or such in Japanese. In the example, this is used before “ii” to emphasize its meaning.
- ii – 良い (いい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘good’, ‘nice’, or such in Japanese.
This is a typical usage of “tenki”. In this example, it works as a part of the noun phrase which means ‘today’s weather’ in Japanese. When we want to say “weather” in Japanese, this noun is a very good option.
Example #2: another usage of “tenki”
watashi wa kesa tenki yohou wo mi ta – 私は今朝天気予報を見た (わたしはけさてんきよほうをみた)
I checked the weather forecast this morning.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
- kesa – 今朝 (けさ) : a noun meaning ‘this morning’ in Japanese. This can also work as an adverb. In the example, this works as an adverb to say “this morning” in Japanese.
- yohou – 予報 (よほう) : a noun meaning ‘forecast’ in Japanese.
- wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after the noun, “tenki yohou”, to make the object word in the sentence.
- mi – 見 (み) : one conjugation of the verb, “miru”, which means ‘to see’, ‘to watch’, ‘to look’, or such in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
- ta – た : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its past tense form. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese ta form. In the example, this is used after “mi” to make its past tense form, “mi ta”.
This is another typical usage of “tenki”. In this example, it works together with “yohou” to make the longer noun, “tenki yohou”, which means ‘weather forecast’ in Japanese. Native speakers normally use this noun together with the verb, “miru”, to say “to check the weather forecast” in Japanese. This is a kind of idiomatic expression.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “tenki” 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.
- tenki – 天気 (てんき) : a noun meaning ‘weather’ in Japanese. These two kanji characters literally mean ‘the sky mood’ or ‘a mood of the sky’. This literal interpretation is not completely in line with the meaning, but still very close, I think. When we want to say “weather” in Japanese, this word is the best choice. It’s also worth knowing that native speakers use this noun especially in daily conversations to mean ‘good weather’ as well.
- tenki yohou – 天気予報 (てんきよほう) : a noun meaning ‘weather forecast’ in Japanese.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
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