How do you say "thunder" in Japanese?

雷鳴

raimei

Noun Kanji

In Japanese, "thunder" is 雷鳴 (raimei).

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Pronunciation

Rai-MEH-ee, three syllables, the middle vowel held slightly to give it a rumbling weight.

Writing and usage

雷鳴 is written using kanji. It's a noun, and this word is also taught inside the Noun Town language learning game, where it appears in interactive lessons alongside hundreds of other everyday words.

Example sentence

大きな雷鳴が空を駆け巡った。

ooki na raimei ga sora wo kake megutsu ta.

Loud thunder rumbled across the sky.

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How to remember 雷鳴

Raimei rumbles out with a heavy middle syllable, echoing the deep roll of real thunder.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

Questions about 雷鳴

How do you pronounce 雷鳴?

Rai-MEH-ee, three syllables, the middle vowel held slightly to give it a rumbling weight.

Is 雷鳴 formal or casual?

雷鳴 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 雷鳴 written in Japanese?

雷鳴 is written using kanji. Romanised, it reads as raimei.

Where can I practice Japanese words for free?

You can play free Japanese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, with no sign-up needed. Every word in the Japanese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.

"Thunder" in other languages

Curated by Jack Ratcliffe

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. Want to play the full game? Get Noun Town on Steam.

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