雷雨(らいう)

らいう
noun
thunderstorm
weather
1. thunderstorm
A rainstorm accompanied by thunder and lightning. Common in summer in Japan, often occurring suddenly in the afternoon.
午後(ごご)から雷雨(らいう)になった。
There was a thunderstorm from the afternoon.
激(はげ)しい雷雨(らいう)で試合(しあい)が中止(ちゅうし)になった。
The game was canceled due to a heavy thunderstorm.
天気予報(てんきよほう)によると、今夜(こんや)は雷雨(らいう)の可能性(かのうせい)があるそうだ。
According to the weather forecast, there's a possibility of thunderstorms tonight.

Usage

雷雨(らいう) specifically refers to rain accompanied by thunder and lightning. It is a standard weather term used in both everyday conversation and weather forecasts.

Common collocations

Similar words

雷(かみなり) refers to thunder or lightning alone, while 雷雨(らいう) specifically means a rainstorm with thunder. 夕立(ゆうだち) is a sudden evening shower, which may or may not include thunder.

Related Words

Related: 雷(かみなり) (thunder, lightning)
Compare: 夕立(ゆうだち) (sudden evening shower)
Related: 雷鳴(らいめい) (thunder, thunderclap)
Related: 落雷(らくらい) (lightning strike)
Related: 雷雲(らいうん) (thundercloud)
general
Added 2026.3.9 9:35 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01
15500/15922_raiu