晴(は)れ乞(ご)い

はれごい
noun
praying for clear weather; wishing for good weather
cultureweather
1. praying for clear weather; wishing for good weather
The practice of praying or wishing for clear, fair weather, especially before important outdoor events. In Japanese folk tradition, this includes making てるてる坊主(ぼうず) (handmade paper dolls hung to wish for sunshine).
運動会(うんどうかい)の前日(ぜんじつ)に晴(は)れ乞(ご)いをした。
I prayed for clear weather the day before the sports day.
てるてる坊主(ぼうず)を作(つく)るのは日本(にほん)の晴(は)れ乞(ご)いの習慣(しゅうかん)だ。
Making teru teru bozu dolls is a Japanese custom for wishing for clear weather.
結婚式(けっこんしき)が近(ちか)いので、毎日(まいにち)晴(は)れ乞(ご)いの気持(きも)ちで天気予報(てんきよほう)を見(み)ている。
With the wedding approaching, I check the weather forecast every day with a prayer for sunshine.

Composed of 晴(は)れ (clear weather) and 乞(ご)い (wishing, praying for), from the verb 乞(こ)う (to beg, to pray for). The counterpart is 雨乞(あまご)い (praying for rain), which historically was a more serious agricultural ritual. 晴(は)れ乞(ご)い is typically lighter in tone and associated with personal hopes for good weather.

The most iconic 晴(は)れ乞(ご)い practice in Japan is making てるてる坊主(ぼうず) — small white paper or cloth dolls hung by a window or eaves to wish for sunshine.

Common collocations

  • 晴(は)れ乞(ご)いをする: to pray for clear weather
  • 晴(は)れ乞(ご)いの気持(きも)ち: a wish for good weather
  • 晴(は)れ乞(ご)いのおまじない: a charm for good weather

Similar words

  • 雨乞(あまご)い: rain prayer — praying for rain, historically a serious agricultural ritual during droughts
  • てるてる坊主(ぼうず): teru teru bozu — a handmade doll hung to wish for good weather

Related Words

Compare: 雨乞(あまご)い (rain prayer)
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Added 2026.5.2 20:33 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02
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