Easy Japanese Weather Words for Kids: Make a Forecast and Learn Through Play
Kids notice sunny days and rainy afternoons—why not name them in Japanese? Learning weather terms like はれ (hare, sunny) and あめ (ame, rain) through hands-on crafts and games helps vocabulary stick. This guide shows simple words, a DIY forecast board, and playful activities to turn any day into a language lesson.
Key Weather Words
Introduce each word with real or paper examples:
天気 (てんき, tenki) – weather overall
晴れ (はれ, hare) – sunny
くもり (kumori, cloudy)
雨 (あめ, ame, rain)
雪 (ゆき, yuki, snow)
風 (かぜ, kaze, wind)
雷 (かみなり, kaminari, thunder)
Show picture cards or point outside as you say each term, then encourage repetition.
DIY Forecast Craft
Help kids build a mini weather station:
- Cut and color five cards: はれ, くもり, あめ, ゆき, かぜ.
- Attach each to a clothespin.
- Draw a sun, cloud, raindrop, snowflake, and wind swirl on a board.
- Each morning, children place the matching pin on today’s box and say the word aloud.
Playful Weather Games
Weather Hopscotch
Draw a hopscotch grid and label squares with weather words in hiragana. Kids jump while chanting 「はれ!」「あめ!」 building word recognition with every leap.
Thunder Clap
Call out 「かみなり!」 and clap hands once. Say 「くもり!」 and pop fingers for clouds. Combining sound and gesture reinforces meanings kinesthetically.
Practice Corner
Keep a “Weather Jar” with tiny weather icons. Each evening, draw one and recount the day: “Today was はれ” or “It あめed after lunch.”
After your weather fun, open Dinolingo for a quick weather quiz. A single family plan unlocks over 50 languages and 40 000+ activities—animated weather lessons, printable flashcards, and surprise badges—designed for Pre-readers (2–5), Elementary (6–10), and Tweens/Teens (11–14). Parents track progress on an ad-free dashboard.
Final Thoughts
By naming sunny skies and raindrops in Japanese, kids link words to their daily world with ease. Pair the DIY forecast board and hopscotch leap with Dinolingo’s interactive follow-ups, and watch your little learner forecast language just like a pro.
Sources
- Learn Japanese Adventure – Japanese Weather Words and Vocabulary
- JapanesePod101 – Talking About the Weather in Japanese