冷(つめ)たい

つめたい
i-adjective
cold (to touch)
descriptive
Conjugation
AffirmativeNegative
Present冷(つめ)たい冷(つめ)たくない
Past冷(つめ)たかった冷(つめ)たくなかった
て form冷(つめ)たくて冷(つめ)たくなくて
Adverbial冷(つめ)たく—
Conditional ば冷(つめ)たければ冷(つめ)たくなければ
Conditional たら冷(つめ)たかったら冷(つめ)たくなかったら
1. cold (to the touch)
Describes cold objects, drinks, or things you can touch. Different from 寒い (samui), which describes cold weather.
冷(つめ)たいお水(みず)をください。
Please give me cold water.
この水(みず)は冷(つめ)たいですね。
This water is cold, isn't it?
手(て)が冷(つめ)たいです。
My hands are cold.
夏(なつ)は冷(つめ)たいビールが美味(おい)しいです。
Cold beer is delicious in summer.
プールの水(みず)が冷(つめ)たくて、入(はい)れなかった。
The pool water was so cold that I couldn't get in.
2. cold-hearted, unfriendly
Figuratively describes a person who is cold, unfriendly, or indifferent.
彼(かれ)は冷(つめ)たい人(ひと)です。
He is a cold person.
Figurative meaning
冷(つめ)たい目(め)で見(み)られた。
I was looked at with cold eyes.
冷(つめ)たい態度(たいど)を取(と)らないでください。
Please don't act so cold toward me.
あの店員(てんいん)は冷(つめ)たくて、もう行(い)きたくない。
That clerk was so unfriendly that I don't want to go back.
昔(むかし)は優(やさ)しかったのに、最近(さいきん)は冷(つめ)たくなりました。
She used to be kind, but recently she's become cold.

Usage

冷(つめ)たい describes something cold when you touch it or drink it, and — of a person, their manner, or their gaze — an absence of warmth. It is used both before a noun (冷(つめ)たい水(みず)) and as a predicate (手(て)が冷(つめ)たい). It is never used for cold weather — that is 寒(さむ)い.

Forms

  • Adverb: 冷(つめ)たく
  • Noun: 冷(つめ)たさ (coldness)
  • Negative: 冷(つめ)たくない
  • Past: 冷(つめ)たかった

Similar words

  • 冷(つめ)たい: cold to touch (objects, drinks, hands)
  • 寒(さむ)い: cold weather/temperature (ambient)

COLLOCATIONS — SENSE 1, PHYSICAL COLD:

COLLOCATIONS — SENSE 2, COLD-HEARTED:

Related Words

Antonym: 温(あたた)かい (warm (to the touch))
Related: 暖(あたた)かい (warm (weather))
Compare: 寒(さむ)い (cold (weather))
Antonym: 熱(あつ)い (hot (to the touch))
Related: 冷(ひ)やす (to cool, to refrigerate)
Compare: そっけない (curt)
Compare: 冷(ひ)ややか (chilly)
Compare: 不親切(ふしんせつ) (unkind)
Compare: 無機質(むきしつ) (inorganic)
Compare: 無機質(むきしつ)な (cold)
Compare: 素(そ)っ気(け) (warmth)
Compare: 低温(ていおん) (low temperature)
basic
Added 2026.1.7 21:36 · Revised 2026.9.4 21:31
00500/00681_tsumetai