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Japanese vocabulary · Beginner
How do you say "light rain" in Japanese?
小雨
kosame
In Japanese, "light rain" is 小雨 (kosame).
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Pronunciation
小雨 is written using kanji. Romanised as kosame, it sounds roughly like "koh-sah-meh" to an English ear.
Writing and usage
Kosame (小雨) means light rain or drizzle using the kanji for small. It is gentler than ame (rain) and often needs only a light umbrella or none at all.
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.
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How to remember 小雨
Kosame uses 小 (small), making it light drizzle. Picture light drops of rain barely wetting the ground.
Related words
- five 五 go
- sleet みぞれ mizore
- twenty-nine 二十九 nijūkyū
- messy 乱雑な ranzan na
- sixty-six 六十六 rokujūroku
- nineteen 十九 jūku
- forty-two 四十二 yonjūni
- snowstorm 吹雪 fubuki
- seventy-four 七十四 nanajūyon
Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.
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 neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech. The level of formality comes from the sentence structure around it, not from the word itself.
How is 小雨 written in Japanese?
小雨 is written using kanji. Kosame (小雨) means light rain or drizzle using the kanji for small.
Where can I practice Japanese words for free?
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"Light rain" in other languages
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