Time, Date, and Weather

Vocabulary for weather and forecasts

The weather vocabulary (天気, てんき, cuaca) often appears in JFT-Basic questions to describe the sky on a certain day as well as weather forecasts. The answer is usually determined by the following sentence, for example a suggestion to bring something or a time expression such as 朝から (あさから, since morning) or 一日中 (いちにちじゅう, all day long).

Weather types that must be memorized:

• 晴れ(はれ, clear) — clear sky without rain. Its verb form is 晴れる(はれる, to become clear). Example: 週末は晴れるといいですね。 (I hope the weekend will be sunny.) This word is also used for a beautiful blue sky and pleasant warm weather.
• 雨(あめ, rain) — water falling from the sky. Its main collocation is 雨が降る(あめがふる, rain falls). Example: 午後になると雨が強くなるようです。 Rain is associated with the suggestion to bring 傘(かさ, umbrella) and with laundry that should not be dried outside.
• 曇り(くもり, cloudy) — sky covered with clouds, not necessarily accompanied by rain. Its verb form is 曇る(くもる, to become cloudy). Example: 空が曇ってきました。 (The sky has started to become cloudy.) Because it does not always rain, 曇り does not automatically require bringing an umbrella.
• 雪(ゆき, snow) — white ice crystals falling in cold weather. Example: 冬の朝は雪が積もることがあります。 Snow also collocates with 降る, but it does not fit the context of suggesting bringing an umbrella.
• 台風(たいふう, typhoon) — a large, dangerous storm. This word does not fit sentences related to hanging out laundry or bringing an ordinary umbrella.
• 強風(きょうふう, strong wind) — very strong wind. The correct collocation is 風が吹く(かぜがふく, wind blows), not 降る.

Verb collocations that are often tested:

• 降る(ふる, to fall) — used for rain and snow (雨が降る, 雪が降る). Not used for wind or a cloudy sky.
• 吹く(ふく, to blow) — used for wind (風が吹く).
• 晴れる(はれる, to become clear) — used for weather changing to clear, not for rain falling.
• 乾く(かわく, to dry) — used for laundry that has dried (洗濯物が乾く). Rain makes laundry difficult to dry.

Context clues that are often used:

• A suggestion to bring 傘(かさ, umbrella) indicates rain. Other items such as 帽子(ぼうし, hat, to protect from the heat of the sun), 手袋(てぶくろ, gloves, for cold weather), and 名札(なふだ, name tag) are not weather items for rainy weather.
• The expressions 〜そうです (I hear that / it seems) and 〜でしょう (probably / it is expected) are used in 天気予報(てんきよほう, weather forecast).
• In changes of weather, 気温(きおん, air temperature) can rise or fall. The pattern 気温が高くなる (the temperature becomes high) indicates weather that is becoming clearer and warmer.

Homographs and similar kanji:

• 天気(てんき, weather) is read てんき, not でんき. でんき is the reading of 電気(でんき, electricity). 天使(てんし, angel) also has a different reading.
• The sentence 「天気は晴れです」 is the correct pattern for describing the weather condition. The word 天気 cannot be the object of 買う (かう, to buy) or 寝る (ねる, to sleep).

Time expressions 来週・来月

The prefix 来 (らい, coming/next) is used to express a time in the near future. Its past counterpart is 先 (さき, past/previous), as in 先週 (せんしゅう, last week) and 先月 (せんげつ, last month).

• 来週(らいしゅう, next week) — used for plans or schedules in the following week. Example: 来週の金曜日(らいしゅうのきんようび, Friday next week)に友だちと会います。 The pattern 来週の + day name expresses a specific day in the next week.
• 来月(らいげつ, next month) — used for plans in the following month. Example: 来月、新しいアパートに引っ越します。 (Next month I am moving to a new apartment.)
• 来年(らいねん, next year) — used for plans in the following year. It is not suitable for schedules only a few days or weeks ahead.
• 毎週(まいしゅう, every week) — expresses a repeated habit, not a single future event. Example: 毎週日曜日にジョギングをします。
• 昨日(きのう, yesterday) — expresses past time, so it does not fit a plan that has not yet happened.