How to Talk About Weather in Chinese
Learn Mandarin weather phrases for hot, cold, rain, and simple small talk.
Last updated 2026-06-23
Guide 15 of 24 in the learning directory
Useful phrases
今天天气怎么样？
Jīntiān tiānqì zěnmeyàng?
How's the weather today?
今天很热。
Jīntiān hěn rè.
It is hot today.
今天很冷。
Jīntiān hěn lěng.
It is cold today.
明天会下雨吗？
Míngtiān huì xiàyǔ ma?
Will it rain tomorrow?
外面在下雨。
Wàimiàn zài xiàyǔ.
It's raining outside.
今天多少度？
Jīntiān duōshao dù?
What's the temperature today?
要带伞吗？
Yào dài sǎn ma?
Should I bring an umbrella?
天气不错。
Tiānqì búcuò.
Nice weather.
Weather is a safe opener
Weather is a safe Mandarin small-talk topic and good for starting conversations.
Swap weather words to practice
Swap “热” with cold, comfortable, or rainy to practice different weather.
Say 今天很热, not a literal 'it is'
Mandarin says “今天很热”; do not translate “it is hot” word for word.
Why weather is a useful opener
Weather is a safe small-talk topic in Mandarin. You do not need to know much about the other person to start with “今天很热” or “今天天气不错”.
If you do not know what to say, start with weather and add a simple question: “你喜欢夏天吗？” or “明天会下雨吗？”
Connect weather to plans
Weather often connects to going out, travel, and weekend plans. After “明天会下雨吗？”, you can ask “我们还去公园吗？”
Practice combining weather words with time words: today is cold, tomorrow may rain, the weekend weather is good. These sound like real conversation.
Common weather words and the seasons
Common weather: 晴天 (sunny), 阴天 (overcast), 多云 (cloudy), 下雨 (rain), 下雪 (snow), 刮风 (windy). For how it feels: 很热, 很冷, 很闷 (stuffy), 很舒服, 很潮 (humid).
The seasons are 春天, 夏天, 秋天, 冬天. Temperature uses “度”: “今天三十度”, “今天零下五度”; ask with “今天多少度？”.
A full weather small-talk dialogue (read along)
You: 今天天气怎么样？ Other: 今天很热，三十多度. You: 明天呢，会下雨吗？ Other: 好像会，记得带伞. You: 好，谢谢提醒.
Listen once, then repeat line by line. Swap “很热” for “很冷” or “很舒服”, and “下雨” for “下雪” or “刮风”, to chat about many conditions.
Weather is a low-pressure opener
The value of weather Mandarin is not only checking the forecast. It opens easy conversations: “今天好热啊” and “明天会下雨吗？” naturally lead to going out, umbrellas, and clothing.
Do not only swap 热 and 冷. Add a personal reaction: “我有点冷”, “我不喜欢下雨”, or “今天适合出去走走”. That keeps weather phrases from feeling like a word list.
A 5-minute review route
Minute one is only for the core lines: “今天天气怎么样？”、“今天很热。”、“今天很冷。”. Do not add new vocabulary yet; first make sure you can read the characters aloud and turn the English meaning back into Mandarin.
Minutes two to four change one real variable: place, quantity, time, person, or preference. In the final minute, close the page and say the idea with your own details. PandaKiko treats this guide as learned only when you can turn “今天天气怎么样？” into your own sentence.
FAQ
How do I ask about weather?
Ask “今天天气怎么样？”
What does “会下雨” mean?
It means it will rain or is likely to rain.
How do I say the temperature?
Use “度”: “今天三十度”, “今天零下五度”. Ask “今天多少度？”.
How do 下雨 and 下雪 differ?
“下雨” is rain and “下雪” is snow; both are “下 + X”, and “刮风” means windy.
What can I ask to keep chatting?
Follow with “你喜欢这种天气吗？”, “明天要出门吗？”, or “要带伞吗？” to keep it going.
Why no “是” in “今天很热”?
Mandarin adjective-predicate sentences drop “是”: just say “今天很热” or “今天很冷”.
Check before the next guide
Read three core sentences without relying on pinyin.
Answer one real dialogue question from the guide.
Swap the place, number, or person so the phrase fits your own situation.
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