Korean Weather Vocabulary: Essential Words & Phrases Guide
Building your Korean vocabulary weather terms is essential for daily conversations. Whether you're discussing the forecast, making small talk, or planning activities, knowing Korean words for weather will help you communicate naturally with native speakers.
Essential Weather Vocabulary
When you learn Korean weather terms, start with these core words that appear in everyday conversations:
| Word | Pronunciation | English | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 날씨 | nal-ssi | weather | 오늘 날씨가 좋아요. (The weather is nice today.) |
| 비 | bi | rain | 비가 와요. (It's raining.) |
| 눈 | nun | snow | 눈이 내려요. (It's snowing.) |
| 바람 | ba-ram | wind | 바람이 세요. (The wind is strong.) |
| 구름 | gu-reum | cloud | 구름이 많아요. (There are many clouds.) |
| 해 | hae | sun | 해가 나왔어요. (The sun came out.) |
| 덥다 | deop-da | to be hot | 오늘 너무 더워요. (It's very hot today.) |
| 춥다 | chup-da | to be cold | 겨울에는 추워요. (It's cold in winter.) |
| 따뜻하다 | tta-tteut-ha-da | to be warm | 봄 날씨가 따뜻해요. (Spring weather is warm.) |
| 시원하다 | si-won-ha-da | to be cool/refreshing | 바람이 시원해요. (The wind is refreshing.) |
| 습하다 | seup-ha-da | to be humid | 여름에 습해요. (It's humid in summer.) |
| 건조하다 | geon-jo-ha-da | to be dry | 겨울 공기가 건조해요. (Winter air is dry.) |
| 맑다 | mak-da | to be clear/sunny | 하늘이 맑아요. (The sky is clear.) |
| 흐리다 | heu-ri-da | to be cloudy | 오늘은 흐려요. (It's cloudy today.) |
| 안개 | an-gae | fog | 아침에 안개가 꼈어요. (There was fog in the morning.) |
| 천둥 | cheon-dung | thunder | 천둥 소리가 들려요. (I hear thunder.) |
| 번개 | beon-gae | lightning | 번개가 쳤어요. (Lightning struck.) |
| 태풍 | tae-pung | typhoon | 태풍이 오고 있어요. (A typhoon is coming.) |
| 장마 | jang-ma | monsoon/rainy season | 장마철이에요. (It's monsoon season.) |
| 우산 | u-san | umbrella | 우산 가져가세요. (Take an umbrella.) |
Common Phrases
These expressions will help you discuss weather naturally in Korean:
- 날씨가 어때요? (nal-ssi-ga eo-ttae-yo?) — How's the weather?
- 오늘 날씨 좋네요! (o-neul nal-ssi jon-ne-yo!) — The weather is nice today!
- 비가 올 것 같아요. (bi-ga ol geot ga-ta-yo) — It looks like it's going to rain.
- 날씨가 풀렸어요. (nal-ssi-ga pul-lyeo-sseo-yo) — The weather has warmed up.
- 오늘 기온이 얼마예요? (o-neul gi-on-i eol-ma-ye-yo?) — What's the temperature today?
- 일기예보 봤어요? (il-gi-ye-bo bwa-sseo-yo?) — Did you see the weather forecast?
- 갑자기 날씨가 변했어요. (gap-ja-gi nal-ssi-ga byeon-hae-sseo-yo) — The weather changed suddenly.
- 폭염주의보가 발령됐어요. (po-gyeom-ju-ui-bo-ga bal-lyeong-dwae-sseo-yo) — A heat wave warning has been issued.
Usage Notes
Understanding these cultural and grammatical points will help you use Korean weather vocabulary correctly:
- Subject markers with weather: Weather phenomena typically use the subject marker 이/가. For example, 비가 와요 (rain comes) rather than saying "it rains" like in English.
- Descriptive verbs: Korean uses descriptive verbs (adjectives) for weather conditions. Words like 덥다, 춥다, and 맑다 conjugate like verbs: 더워요, 추워요, 맑아요.
- 장마 (jang-ma): Korea has a distinct monsoon season from late June to mid-July. This is an important cultural topic, and Koreans often discuss how long 장마 will last.
- 사계절 (sa-gye-jeol): Koreans take pride in their four distinct seasons. Mentioning seasonal weather is a common conversation starter.
- 삼한사온 (sam-han-sa-on): A traditional Korean weather pattern meaning "three cold days, four warm days" that describes winter temperature fluctuations.
- Formal vs. informal: When asking about weather formally, use 날씨가 어떻습니까? In casual speech, 날씨 어때? is common among friends.
Practice Sentences
Use these example sentences to practice your Korean weather vocabulary in context:
- 서울은 겨울에 정말 추워요.
Seoul is really cold in winter. - 우산 없이 나갔는데 갑자기 비가 왔어요.
I went out without an umbrella and it suddenly rained. - 오늘 아침에 첫눈이 내렸어요!
The first snow fell this morning! - 장마가 끝나서 날씨가 좋아졌어요.
The weather improved because monsoon season ended. - 태풍 때문에 비행기가 취소됐어요.
The flight was cancelled because of the typhoon. - 가을 하늘이 정말 맑고 높아요.
The autumn sky is really clear and high. - 오늘 습도가 높아서 불쾌지수가 높아요.
The humidity is high today so the discomfort index is high. - 바람이 많이 불어서 빨래가 빨리 말랐어요.
The laundry dried quickly because it was very windy. - 일기예보에서 내일 눈이 온다고 했어요.
The weather forecast said it will snow tomorrow. - 봄에는 날씨가 따뜻해서 벚꽃 구경을 가요.
In spring, the weather is warm so people go cherry blossom viewing.