How do you say "light rain" in Japanese?

In Japanese, "light rain" is 小雨 (kosame). It is a adjective pronounced "koh-sah-meh".

Listen to the pronunciation:

Pronunciation

小雨 is written in kanji. Romanised as kosame, it sounds roughly like "koh-sah-meh" to an English ear.

Example sentence

朝から小雨が降り続いています。

Asa kara kosame ga furitsuzuite imasu.

Light rain has been falling continuously since morning.

Usage notes

Kosame (小雨) means light rain or drizzle. It is gentler than ame (rain) and is often described as a quiet, soft rain that barely needs an umbrella.

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Questions about 小雨

How do you pronounce 小雨?

小雨 is romanised as kosame. Say it roughly like "koh-sah-meh" in English. Each Japanese syllable has even weight, so keep the rhythm steady.

Is 小雨 formal or casual?

小雨 is a na-adjective or noun-adjective. It is neutral in register and fits naturally in both casual and polite sentences. Add na before a noun, or use desu for a polite predicate.

How is 小雨 written in Japanese?

小雨 is written using kanji. Kanji characters carry the core meaning; any hiragana or katakana that follow show grammatical endings.

This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the Japanese language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation.