厳寒(げんかん)

げんかん
noun
severe cold; bitter cold; midwinter cold
1. severe cold; bitter cold; dead of winter
Extremely harsh cold weather, typically referring to the coldest part of winter. A somewhat literary or formal way to describe intense winter cold.
厳寒(げんかん)の季節(きせつ)がやってきた。
The season of severe cold has arrived.
厳寒(げんかん)の中(なか)、作業(さぎょう)を続(つづ)けた。
They continued working in the bitter cold.
北海道(ほっかいどう)の厳寒(げんかん)期(き)には気温(きおん)がマイナス30度(ど)を下回(したまわ)ることもある。
During the severe cold season in Hokkaido, temperatures can drop below minus 30 degrees.

Describes extremely harsh winter cold. Composed of 厳(げん) (severe, strict) + 寒(かん) (cold). Has a literary or formal quality and is commonly used in weather reports, news, and written descriptions of winter conditions.

COMMON COLLOCATIONS:

  • 厳寒(げんかん)の候(こう): the season of bitter cold (used in formal letters)
  • 厳寒(げんかん)期(き): period of severe cold
  • 厳寒(げんかん)の地(ち): a place of severe cold
  • 厳寒(げんかん)に耐(た)える: to endure the bitter cold

SIMILAR WORDS:

  • 極寒(ごっかん): extreme cold — even more intense than 厳寒(げんかん); suggests the most extreme cold conditions
  • 酷寒(こっかん): cruel cold — literary synonym emphasizing harshness
  • 寒波(かんぱ): cold wave — a specific weather event, not a general season

NOTE:
Homophone: 玄関(げんかん) (entrance hall) is a completely different word with the same reading.

general
Added 2026.3.30 6:22
20500/20655_genkan