寒(さむ)い

さむい
i-adjective
cold (weather)
weather
Conjugation
AffirmativeNegative
Present寒(さむ)い寒(さむ)くない
Past寒(さむ)かった寒(さむ)くなかった
て form寒(さむ)くて寒(さむ)くなくて
Adverbial寒(さむ)く—
Conditional ば寒(さむ)ければ寒(さむ)くなければ
Conditional たら寒(さむ)かったら寒(さむ)くなかったら
1. cold (weather, temperature)
Used to describe cold weather or ambient temperature. For cold objects or food, use 冷たい (tsumetai) instead.
今日(きょう)は寒(さむ)いですね。
It's cold today, isn't it?
冬(ふゆ)は寒(さむ)いです。
Winter is cold.
寒(さむ)くなりましたね。
It's gotten cold, hasn't it?
今朝(けさ)は寒(さむ)かったので、上着(うわぎ)を着(き)ました。
It was cold this morning, so I wore a jacket.
冬(ふゆ)の夜(よる)は寒(さむ)いから、窓(まど)を閉(し)めて寝(ね)ましょう。
Winter nights are cold, so let's close the window and sleep.

Usage

寒(さむ)い describes cold air — the weather, a room, the season — and by extension how cold *you* feel in it. It is used both before a noun (寒(さむ)い日(ひ)) and as a predicate (今日(きょう)は寒(さむ)い). On its own, 寒(さむ)いです means either "it's cold" or "I'm cold." It is never used for something cold to the touch — that is 冷(つめ)たい.

Forms

  • Adverbial: 寒(さむ)く
  • Negative: 寒(さむ)くない
  • Past: 寒(さむ)かった
  • Noun form: 寒(さむ)さ (coldness)

Common collocations

Similar words

  • 寒(さむ)い: cold weather/air (atmospheric)
  • 冷(つめ)たい: cold to touch (objects, drinks), also cold-hearted (figurative)

Related Words

Antonym: 暑(あつ)い (hot (weather))
Antonym: 暖(あたた)かい (warm)
Compare: 冷(つめ)たい (cold (to touch))
Compare: 肌寒(はださむ)い (chilly (milder))
Compare: 寒冷(かんれい) (cold)
Compare: 涼(すず)しい (cool, refreshing)
basic
Added 2026.1.7 21:48 · Revised 2026.10.8 4:48
00500/00664_samui