Contrary to what Japanese people will tell you, there are only two seasons in Japan.
Each are clearly understood by a single metric. For half of the year, everyone says 寒い (samui, it’s cold) until one day when everyone switches to saying 暑い (atsui, it’s hot).
There are also some differences in formality and severity.
| Japanese | English Meaning | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| さむいですね samui desu ne |
It’s cold, isn’t it? | formal |
| さむい samui |
It’s cold! | normal |
| さみ / さむ sami / samu |
informal | |
| ざぶい zabui |
exaggerated | |
| Japanese | English Meaning | Usage |
| あついですね atsui desu ne |
It’s hot, isn’t it? | formal |
| あつい atsui |
It’s hot! | normal |
| あっつ a-tsu |
informal | |
| あっちー a-chi |
exaggerated |