(てんきや)

おてんきや
noun
moody person; fickle person
1. moody person; fickle person; someone whose mood changes unpredictably
A person whose mood or attitude changes frequently and unpredictably, like the weather. Used to describe someone who is cheerful one moment and grumpy the next.
彼女(かのじょ)はお天気屋(てんきや)だ。
She's a moody person.
天気屋(てんきや)上司(じょうし)()(まわ)される。
I get jerked around by my moody boss.
うちの(ねこ)はお天気屋(てんきや)で、(あま)えてきたかと(おも)ったら(きゅう)(おこ)()す。
Our cat is moody — just when you think it's being affectionate, it suddenly gets angry.

A colorful metaphor comparing a person's unpredictable mood swings to changeable weather. The お is a polite/softening prefix, 天気(てんき) means weather, and () is the suffix for 'person characterized by.' The word has a mildly critical but often affectionate tone.

USAGE:
Can be used both as a noun (お天気屋(てんきや)だ) and as a na-adjective-like modifier (お天気屋(てんきや)(ひと)). Often used with a tone of exasperation tinged with fondness.

SIMILAR WORDS:

  • 気分屋(きぶんや) — moody person; very close synonym, literally 'mood person'
  • ()まぐれ — whimsical, capricious; can describe actions as well as personality
  • ムラがある — uneven, inconsistent; often used for work output rather than mood