(ごっかん)

ごっかん
noun
extreme cold; bitter cold
1. extreme cold; bitter cold; severe cold
Intensely cold weather or conditions, far beyond ordinary winter cold.
極寒(ごっかん)()()らす。
To live in a land of extreme cold.
極寒(ごっかん)(なか)作業(さぎょう)(つづ)けた。
We continued working in the bitter cold.
この地域(ちいき)(ふゆ)になると極寒(ごっかん)で、気温(きおん)がマイナス三十度(さんじゅうど)下回(したまわ)ることもある。
In winter, this region experiences extreme cold, with temperatures sometimes dropping below minus thirty degrees.

Describes the most severe level of cold, beyond what (さむ)い or 厳寒(げんかん) conveys. Often used to describe arctic or subarctic conditions, or the coldest days of winter. Frequently modifies nouns directly as 極寒(ごっかん)の.

COMMON COLLOCATIONS:

  • 極寒(ごっかん)(): land of extreme cold
  • 極寒(ごっかん)(なか): in the bitter cold
  • 極寒(ごっかん)()える: to endure extreme cold
  • 極寒(ごっかん)季節(きせつ): season of extreme cold

SIMILAR WORDS:

  • 厳寒(げんかん): severe cold — similar intensity but more literary
  • 酷寒(こっかん): harsh cold — nearly synonymous, slightly less common
  • 寒波(かんぱ): cold wave — a specific weather event, not a general condition
  • 猛暑(もうしょ): intense heat — the summer counterpart