Step outside in Seoul and someone will mention the weather within a minute — it's the number one icebreaker in Korea. This beginner-friendly guide gives you the Korean weather words you'll actually use, from 비 (rain) to all four seasons, with native audio for every one. By the end you'll be able to say whether it's hot, cold, raining, or snowing.
How do you say the weather is nice in Korean?
Say 날씨가 좋아요 (nalssiga joayo) — literally "the weather is good." 날씨 (nalssi) means "weather," and 좋아요 comes from 좋다 (to be good). It's the friendliest weather line you can learn, and Koreans reach for it constantly.
The core Korean weather words
| Korean | Romanization | English | How you use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 날씨 | nalssi | weather | 날씨가 좋아요 — the weather is nice |
| 비 | bi | rain | 비가 와요 — it’s raining |
| 눈 | nun | snow | 눈이 와요 — it’s snowing |
| 바람 | baram | wind | 바람이 불어요 — it’s windy |
| 덥다 | deopda | hot (weather) | 더워요 — it’s hot |
| 춥다 | chupda | cold (weather) | 추워요 — it’s cold |
| 우산 | usan | umbrella | 우산 가져가세요 — take an umbrella |
Notice the little 가/이 after each noun — 비**가** 와요, 눈**이** 와요. That's the subject particle doing its quiet job. If it's new to you, the Korean particles guide breaks down when to use which.
Hear the core weather words
Tap each clip to hear a native speaker. Listen once, then say it back — the example sentences are exactly how a Korean friend would report the weather to you.
Teacher aside: in Korean, rain and snow don't "fall" — they come. You say 비가 와요 (rain comes) and 눈이 와요 (snow comes), never 비가 떨어져요. And yes, 눈 means both "snow" and "eye" — context always sorts it out, so nobody actually gets confused. Weather really is the safest small talk here; 날씨가 좋죠? (nalssiga jochyo, "nice weather, right?") will start a chat with almost anyone.
The four seasons in Korean (봄, 여름, 가을, 겨울)
Korea has four sharply different seasons, and each one owns a word you'll hear all year. Here they are in order, with what each season is known for.
| Season | Korean | Romanization | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 봄 | bom | Cherry blossoms (벚꽃) and flower-viewing picnics |
| Summer | 여름 | yeoreum | Heat, the 장마 rainy spell, trips to the sea |
| Autumn | 가을 | gaeul | Red 단풍 foliage and the 추석 harvest holiday |
| Winter | 겨울 | gyeoul | Snow, skiing, and warm street food |
One thing to watch: 덥다 (hot) and 춥다 (cold) don’t become 덥어요 and 춥어요. They’re ㅂ-irregular, so the ㅂ flips to 우 and you get 더워요 and 추워요. The 아/어 conjugation guide walks through why this happens.
Common Korean weather mistakes
| Mistake | Correct | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 덥어요 | 더워요 (deowoyo) | 덥다 is a ㅂ-irregular adjective: the ㅂ turns into 우 before an ending, giving 더워요. |
| 춥어요 | 추워요 (chuwoyo) | 춥다 follows the same ㅂ-irregular pattern as 덥다 → 추워요. |
| 비가 떨어져요 | 비가 와요 (biga wayo) | Korean rain and snow "come," not "fall." Use 오다: 비가 와요, 눈이 와요. |
| 날씨를 좋아해요 | 날씨가 좋아요 (nalssiga joayo) | 좋다 = "to be good" (the weather IS good). 좋아하다 = "to like" — a different verb. |
Korean Weather — Quick Check
1. How do you say "It’s raining" in Korean?
2. 덥다 (hot) in polite present tense is:
3. Which word means "autumn / fall"?
That's the core set — 비, 눈, 바람, 덥다, 춥다 — plus all four seasons and the two mistakes that trip everyone up. Weather is the lowest-stakes small talk in Korea, so this vocabulary pays off the very next time you meet someone.
Now try it: look out your window and put your Korean weather words to work out loud — 날씨가 좋아요? 비가 와요? Then drill the full set on the Weather & Seasons word list. If 더워요 tripped you up, the 아/어 conjugation guide explains why, and days of the week in Korean gives you the time words to pair with them.
Practice these words with native-speaker audio
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