Seasons
Collocations, Stage 4chunk 17 of 25Weather & nature
Sets that mark the year in daily talk: blossoms out in spring, summer heat and cicadas, snow lying in winter.
- hana ga sakuflowers bloom, come out
- atsusa ni yowaican't take the heat
- semi ga nakucicadas sing, buzz
- yuki ga tsumorusnow settles, lies on the ground
Mix-ups semi ga naku uses naku (鳴く, an animal's call), not naku 'cry' (泣く), and pairs with kaminari ga naru: animals naku, things naru. atsusa ni yowai is the osake ga yowai idea with ni (samusa ni yowai for cold), and snow furu as it falls but tsumoru once it lies.
hana ga saku
polite hana ga sakimasuflowers bloom, come out
花が咲く はながさく 花が咲きます
verbsaku 咲くbloom, open (of flowers)typical 11% of hana
trap 'The blossoms are out' points to deru, but flowers that are out are saiteru (sakura saiteru); hana ga deru isn't said. Hiraku is the petals opening, mostly in description, not the everyday word. Blossoms coming down are chiru: mou chitchatta (petals already on the ground are ochiteru).
Mostly about cherry blossoms in spring: sakura saita? (are they out?), mou saiteru (they're already out), mada saitenai. Saiteru is the flowers being out now, not still opening. Ga is usually dropped.
beranda no hana, saita yo.
The flowers on the balcony have come out.
ベランダの花、咲いたよ。
beranda no hana ga sakimashita yo.
The flowers on the balcony have come out.
ベランダの花が咲きましたよ。
Peak bloom is mankai (ima mankai da tte), and going to see them is ohanami: ohanami ikanai?
Same verb: sakura (cherry blossoms), ume (plum blossoms), himawari (sunflowers), ajisai (hydrangeas)Main list: -teru (Stage 1), mou (Stage 1), mada (Stage 1)
atsusa ni yowai
polite atsusa ni yowai desucan't take the heat
暑さに弱い あつさによわい 暑さに弱いです
adjectiveyowai 弱いweak, having little strength or tolerance
trap Atsusa takes ni: atsusa ga yowai isn't said (with osake, ga and ni both work). Atsui no nigate (I can't do heat) is just as everyday.
Said about yourself or someone else in summer: atsusa ni yowai n da yo ne (I'm no good in the heat). The cold version, samusa ni yowai, is just as common. The ni stays.
atsusa ni yowai n da yo ne.
I'm no good in the heat.
暑さに弱いんだよね。
atsusa ni yowai n desu yo ne.
I'm no good in the heat.
暑さに弱いんですよね。
The opposite is atsusa ni tsuyoi; atsusa is atsui + -sa (the heat), like samusa from samui.
Same adjective: samusa (the cold), norimono (vehicles: get travel-sick), osake (drink: osake ni yowai)Learn alongside: osake ga yowai, osake ga tsuyoiMain list: atsui (Stage 2), samui (Stage 2), nigate (Stage 2), n da (Stage 1)
semi ga naku
polite semi ga nakimasucicadas sing, buzz
セミが鳴く セミがなく セミが鳴きます
verbnaku 鳴くmake its call (an animal, bird or insect)
trap English has a verb per creature (sing, chirp, buzz, meow), but Japanese uses naku (鳴く) for nearly all of them, and it sounds the same as naku 'cry' (泣く). Tori ga utau is poetic; in talk it's naku.
Summer small talk, mostly semi naiteru (the cicadas are going) or semi nakihajimeta ne (the cicadas have started). Casual speech drops ga.
semi nakihajimeta ne.
The cicadas have started up.
セミ鳴き始めたね。
semi ga nakihajimemashita ne.
The cicadas have started up.
セミが鳴き始めましたね。
Autumn nights have mushi ga naku (crickets and other insects); a barking dog is usually hoeru.
Same verb: tori (birds), mushi (insects, e.g. crickets), neko (cats), kaeru (frogs)Learn alongside: kaminari ga naruMain list: -teru (Stage 1), hajimeru (Stage 4)
yuki ga tsumoru
polite yuki ga tsumorimasusnow settles, lies on the ground
雪が積もる ゆきがつもる 雪が積もります
verbtsumoru 積もるpile up, build up (snow, dust)typical 8% of yuki
trap English 'the snow's sticking' points to tsuku, but snow building up on the ground is tsumoru; tsuku is snow stuck on things: kuruma ni yuki tsuiteru. Nokotteru is old snow that hasn't melted yet.
Mostly as yuki tsumotteru (there's snow on the ground) or tsumoru kana? (will it settle?). Tsumotteru is the snow lying there, while snow still coming down is yuki futteru.
asa okitara, yuki tsumotteta.
When I got up, there was snow on the ground.
朝起きたら、雪積もってた。
asa okitara, yuki ga tsumottemashita.
When I got up, there was snow on the ground.
朝起きたら、雪が積もってました。
Melting is tokeru: yuki mou toketa ne.
Same verb: hokori (dust), ochiba (fallen leaves)Main list: -teru (Stage 1), -tara (Stage 2), kana (Stage 1), okiru (Stage 2)