🌦️

Weather Conditions

Keywords
λ§‘μŒ / λΉ„ / 눈
Lesson #
S
Done
Section
Basic Vocabulary
🧭
TL;DR: Today's words describe everyday weather conditions β€” λ§‘μŒ (clear/sunny), λΉ„ (rain), 눈 (snow), λ°”λžŒ (wind), and 흐림 (cloudy/overcast). These are the building blocks for talking about the sky, the forecast, and what to wear or bring before you head out.
πŸ¦‹
Iru Helper Note: Remember μ˜€λ‹€ (to come) from the Movement lesson? It comes back here in a fun way β€” Koreans say λΉ„κ°€ μ™€μš” (rain comes = it's raining) and 눈이 μ™€μš” (snow comes = it's snowing), using μ˜€λ‹€ literally! Wind, though, "blows" (λ°”λžŒμ΄ λΆˆμ–΄μš”), not "comes." Once you've got these five down, the next lesson, <mention-page url="https://app.notion.com/p/344be37590c08166-8dc1-d1961d65551b">, builds on them by exploring the seasons. Quick example using all five: μ˜€λŠ˜μ€ λ§‘μŒμ΄μ§€λ§Œ μ˜€ν›„μ—λŠ” 흐림으둜 λ°”λ€Œκ³ , λ°”λžŒλ„ κ°•ν•˜κ²Œ 뢈 κ±°μ˜ˆμš” β€” 내일은 λΉ„λ‚˜ 눈이 올 μˆ˜λ„ μžˆμ–΄μš”. (Today is clear, but it'll turn cloudy in the afternoon and the wind will blow hard β€” tomorrow it might rain or snow.)

🎯 Big Picture

Weather is one of the most common small-talk topics in any language, and Korean is no exception β€” "였늘 날씨 μ–΄λ•Œμš”?" (How's the weather today?) is a daily greeting in disguise. These five words let you describe the sky in a glance, follow a weather forecast (날씨 예보), and set up conversations about clothing, plans, and the seasons. Two of today's words β€” λ§‘μŒ and 흐림 β€” are special: they're "report style" noun forms you'll see on weather apps and the news, while λΉ„, 눈, and λ°”λžŒ are everyday nouns that pair with action verbs like μ˜€λ‹€, 내리닀, and λΆˆλ‹€.

πŸ“– Core Vocabulary Family

1. λ§‘μŒ (Clear / Sunny)

λ§‘μŒ is the noun form of the adjective 맑닀 (to be clear), and it's the word you'll see printed on weather forecasts and apps for "Clear" or "Sunny."
  • 였늘 λ‚ μ”¨λŠ” λ§‘μŒμž…λ‹ˆλ‹€. (Today's weather is clear.)
  • μ£Όλ§μ—λŠ” λ§‘μŒμ΄ μ˜ˆμƒλΌμš”. (Clear weather is expected this weekend.)
Grammar note: λ§‘μŒ is formed by adding -음 to the stem 맑- (a λͺ…μ‚¬ν˜•, or "noun form"). It's common in writing and weather reports. In everyday speech, people usually describe the sky with the adjective directly: 날씨가 λ§‘μ•„μš” (the weather is clear).

2. λΉ„ (Rain)

λΉ„ simply means "rain." It's almost always paired with a verb describing it falling.
  • λΉ„κ°€ μ™€μš”. (It's raining.)
  • μš°μ‚°μ„ μ±™κΈ°μ„Έμš”, λΉ„κ°€ 올 κ±°μ˜ˆμš”. (Bring an umbrella β€” it's going to rain.)
Grammar note: λΉ„κ°€ μ˜€λ‹€ and λΉ„κ°€ 내리닀 both mean "it rains." μ˜€λ‹€ (to come) is the everyday, conversational choice; 내리닀 (to fall/descend) sounds more formal or literary, like something you'd hear on the news.

3. 눈 (Snow)

눈 means "snow" β€” but watch out, it's also the word for "eye"! Context (μ˜€λ‹€/내리닀 vs. 크닀/μž‘λ‹€/λœ¨λ‹€) tells you which one is meant.
  • 눈이 μ™€μš”. (It's snowing.)
  • μ–΄μ œ 눈이 많이 λ‚΄λ Έμ–΄μš”. (It snowed a lot yesterday.)
Grammar note: 눈 follows the exact same pattern as λΉ„ β€” 눈이 μ˜€λ‹€/내리닀. Since 눈 (snow) and 눈 (eye) are spelled and pronounced identically, the verb that follows is your clue: 눈이 μ˜€λ‹€ = snow, 눈이 크닀 = (big) eyes.

4. λ°”λžŒ (Wind)

λ°”λžŒ means "wind." Unlike rain and snow, wind doesn't "come" β€” it "blows."
  • λ°”λžŒμ΄ λΆˆμ–΄μš”. (The wind is blowing.)
  • λ°”λžŒμ΄ 많이 λΆ€λŠ” λ‚ μ΄μ—μš”. (It's a very windy day.)
Grammar note: λΆˆλ‹€ (to blow) is a γ„Ή-irregular verb. Before -μ–΄μš”, the γ„Ή stays: 뢈 + μ–΄μš” β†’ λΆˆμ–΄μš”. But before -μŠ΅λ‹ˆλ‹€, -μ„Έμš”, or -λŠ”, the γ„Ή drops: λΆ‘λ‹ˆλ‹€, λΆ€μ„Έμš”, λΆ€λŠ” λ°”λžŒ (the blowing wind) β€” the same pattern you saw with λ§Œλ“€λ‹€ and μ•Œλ‹€.

5. 흐림 (Cloudy / Overcast)

흐림 is the noun form of 흐리닀 (to be cloudy/overcast) β€” the partner word to λ§‘μŒ on every weather forecast.
  • 였늘 λ‚ μ”¨λŠ” νλ¦Όμž…λ‹ˆλ‹€. (Today's weather is cloudy.)
  • 흐림 λ’€ λΉ„. (Cloudy, then rain.) β€” a typical weather-report headline.
Grammar note: Just like λ§‘μŒ, 흐림 = stem 흐리- + -음. In conversation, use the adjective form instead: 날씨가 νλ €μš” (it's cloudy). Notice the contraction: 흐리닀 β†’ νλ €μš” (γ…£ + μ–΄ β†’ μ—¬), the same pattern as κ°€λ₯΄μΉ˜λ‹€ β†’ κ°€λ₯΄μ³μš”.

πŸ—£οΈ How They Work in a Sentence

  1. μ˜€λŠ˜μ€ λ§‘μŒμ΄μ§€λ§Œ, μ˜€ν›„μ—λŠ” λ°”λžŒμ΄ 많이 뢈 κ±°μ˜ˆμš”. (Today is clear, but it'll be very windy in the afternoon.)
  1. 내일은 νλ¦Όμ—μ„œ λΉ„λ‘œ λ°”λ€” μ˜ˆμ •μ΄μ—μš”. (Tomorrow is expected to change from cloudy to rainy.)
  1. κ²¨μšΈμ—λŠ” 눈이 였고, λ΄„μ—λŠ” λΉ„κ°€ 자주 μ™€μš”. (In winter it snows, and in spring it rains often.)

🧱 General Formation Rule

  • λͺ…μ‚¬ν˜• (noun forms): 맑닀 β†’ λ§‘μŒ, 흐리닀 β†’ 흐림. Add -음/ㅁ to the adjective stem to get the "report style" noun used in forecasts, signs, and headlines.
  • Everyday adjective forms: 날씨가 λ§‘μ•„μš” (clear), 날씨가 νλ €μš” (cloudy), 날씨가 μ’‹μ•„μš”/λ‚˜λΉ μš” (good/bad).
  • λΉ„/눈 + μ˜€λ‹€ or 내리닀: describes rain or snow falling β€” λΉ„κ°€ μ™€μš”/λ‚΄λ €μš”, 눈이 μ™€μš”/λ‚΄λ €μš”.
  • λ°”λžŒ + λΆˆλ‹€: describes wind blowing β€” λ°”λžŒμ΄ λΆˆμ–΄μš” (ν˜„μž¬), λΆ‘λ‹ˆλ‹€/λΆ€μ„Έμš”/λΆ€λŠ” (γ„Ή drops before γ„΄/γ…‚/γ……).
  • γ…£ + μ–΄ β†’ μ—¬ contraction: 흐리닀 β†’ νλ €μš” (not νλ¦¬μ–΄μš”).
πŸ”Ž
Cross-check: Want the official definitions? Search 맑닀, 흐리닀, λΉ„, 눈, and λ°”λžŒ on the ꡭ립ꡭ어원 ν‘œμ€€κ΅­μ–΄λŒ€μ‚¬μ „ (National Institute of Korean Language's Standard Korean Dictionary) to see example sentences straight from native sources.

πŸ” Synonym Alert

  1. λΉ„κ°€ μ˜€λ‹€ vs. λΉ„κ°€ 내리닀 β€” both mean "it rains." μ˜€λ‹€ is casual and conversational; 내리닀 is more formal/literary, often used in written forecasts and news reports.
  1. 맑닀 vs. ν™”μ°½ν•˜λ‹€ β€” 맑닀 just means "clear," but ν™”μ°½ν•˜λ‹€ means "bright, clear, and pleasant" β€” a step up in vividness. ν™”μ°½ν•œ 날씨 (gorgeous, sunny weather) is stronger praise than 맑은 날씨 (clear weather).

⚠️ Pitfalls to Dodge

  1. Don't mix up 눈 (snow) and 눈 (eye) β€” the verb gives it away: 눈이 μ˜€λ‹€/내리닀 = snow, 눈이 크닀/μž‘λ‹€ = eyes.
  1. Wind doesn't "come" β€” never say λ°”λžŒμ΄ μ™€μš”. Use λ°”λžŒμ΄ λΆˆμ–΄μš” (the wind blows).
  1. λ§‘μŒ/흐림 are report-style noun forms for writing and forecasts. In spoken conversation, λ§‘μ•„μš”/νλ €μš” sounds far more natural than λ§‘μŒμ΄μ—μš”/νλ¦Όμ΄μ—μš”.
  1. Remember the contraction: 흐리닀 β†’ νλ €μš”, NOT νλ¦¬μ–΄μš”.
  1. Don't drop the subject particle in writing β€” λΉ„κ°€ μ˜€λ‹€, 눈이 μ˜€λ‹€, λ°”λžŒμ΄ λΆˆλ‹€ (though λΉ„ μ™€μš”/눈 μ™€μš” without κ°€/이 is fine in very casual speech).
μ˜€λŠ˜λΆ€ν„° λ§‘μŒ, λΉ„, 눈, λ°”λžŒ, 흐림으둜 날씨 이야기λ₯Ό 자유둭게 ν•΄ λ³΄μ„Έμš”! β˜€οΈπŸŒ§οΈβ„οΈπŸ’¨β˜οΈ
Try this exercise
  1. 였늘 λ‚ μ”¨λŠ” ___μž…λ‹ˆλ‹€. μš°μ‚°μ€ ν•„μš” μ—†μ–΄μš”. (ν•΄κ°€ μ¨μ¨ν•΄μš”)
  1. ___κ°€ μ™€μ„œ μš°μ‚°μ„ μ±™κ²Όμ–΄μš”.
  1. κ²¨μšΈμ—λŠ” ___이 많이 λ‚΄λ €μš”.
  1. ___이 μ„Έκ²Œ λΆˆμ–΄μ„œ λͺ¨μžκ°€ λ‚ μ•„κ°”μ–΄μš”.
  1. 내일은 ___ λ’€ λΉ„κ°€ 올 μ˜ˆμ •μž…λ‹ˆλ‹€.
  1. μ§€κΈˆ λΉ„κ°€ ___. (μ˜€λ‹€, ν˜„μž¬)
  1. λ°”λžŒμ΄ μ•„μ£Ό 많이 ___. (λΆˆλ‹€, ν˜„μž¬)
  1. 였늘 날씨가 정말 ___. (맑닀, ν˜„μž¬)
  1. ν•˜λŠ˜μ΄ ___μ„œ μš°μ‚°μ„ κ°€μ Έκ°ˆκΉŒμš”? (흐리닀, ν˜„μž¬)
  1. μ–΄μ œλŠ” ___이 μ™€μ„œ 길이 λ―Έλ„λŸ¬μ› μ–΄μš”. (snow)
Answer Key
  1. λ§‘μŒ
  1. λΉ„
  1. 눈
  1. λ°”λžŒ
  1. 흐림
  1. μ™€μš”
  1. λΆˆμ–΄μš”
  1. λ§‘μ•„μš”
  1. νλ €μ„œ
  1. 눈
πŸ“¦
Vocabulary Box: λ§‘μŒ (clear/sunny) Β· λΉ„ (rain) Β· 눈 (snow) Β· λ°”λžŒ (wind) Β· 흐림 (cloudy/overcast)
⚠️
Pitfalls Recap: 눈(snow) β‰  눈(eye) by context Β· λ°”λžŒ pairs with λΆˆλ‹€, never μ˜€λ‹€ Β· νλ €μš” not νλ¦¬μ–΄μš” Β· λ§‘μŒ/흐림 = report style, λ§‘μ•„μš”/νλ €μš” = spoken style.
πŸ”
Want more reps? Head down to the Practice Hub below for 10 more weather words and 5 extra exercises!
Β 
πŸ“¦
Practice Hub β€” Weather Conditions Bonus Round! Here are 10 more weather words to expand your forecast vocabulary: 날씨 (weather), 기온 (temperature), μŠ΅ν•˜λ‹€ (to be humid), κ±΄μ‘°ν•˜λ‹€ (to be dry), μŒ€μŒ€ν•˜λ‹€ (to be chilly), 무λ₯λ‹€ (to be sweltering/hot and humid), 천λ‘₯ (thunder), 번개 (lightning), λ¬΄μ§€κ°œ (rainbow), and νƒœν’ (typhoon). Try the 5 exercises below!

Exercise 1 β€” Word Recall: Korean β†’ English πŸ‡°πŸ‡·βž‘οΈπŸ‡¬πŸ‡§

  1. 날씨
  1. 기온
  1. μŠ΅ν•˜λ‹€
  1. κ±΄μ‘°ν•˜λ‹€
  1. μŒ€μŒ€ν•˜λ‹€
  1. 무λ₯λ‹€
  1. 천λ‘₯
  1. 번개
  1. λ¬΄μ§€κ°œ
  1. νƒœν’
Answer Key
  1. weather
  1. temperature
  1. to be humid
  1. to be dry
  1. to be chilly
  1. to be sweltering / hot and humid
  1. thunder
  1. lightning
  1. rainbow
  1. typhoon

Exercise 2 β€” Word Recall: English β†’ Korean πŸ‡¬πŸ‡§βž‘οΈπŸ‡°πŸ‡·

  1. weather
  1. temperature
  1. humid
  1. dry
  1. chilly
  1. sweltering / hot and humid
  1. thunder
  1. lightning
  1. rainbow
  1. typhoon
Answer Key
  1. 날씨
  1. 기온
  1. μŠ΅ν•˜λ‹€
  1. κ±΄μ‘°ν•˜λ‹€
  1. μŒ€μŒ€ν•˜λ‹€
  1. 무λ₯λ‹€
  1. 천λ‘₯
  1. 번개
  1. λ¬΄μ§€κ°œ
  1. νƒœν’

Exercise 3 β€” Conjugation Practice ✍️

  1. 맑닀 β†’ ___ (present, polite)
  1. 흐리닀 β†’ ___ (present, polite)
  1. λΆˆλ‹€ β†’ ___ (present, polite)
  1. μŠ΅ν•˜λ‹€ β†’ ___ (present, polite)
  1. κ±΄μ‘°ν•˜λ‹€ β†’ ___ (present, polite)
  1. μŒ€μŒ€ν•˜λ‹€ β†’ ___ (present, polite)
  1. 무λ₯λ‹€ β†’ ___ (present, polite)
  1. 내리닀 β†’ ___ (present, polite)
Answer Key
  1. λ§‘μ•„μš”
  1. νλ €μš”
  1. λΆˆμ–΄μš”
  1. μŠ΅ν•΄μš”
  1. κ±΄μ‘°ν•΄μš”
  1. μŒ€μŒ€ν•΄μš”
  1. λ¬΄λ”μ›Œμš” (γ…‚-irregular: γ…‚ drops, μ›Œ added)
  1. λ‚΄λ €μš”
πŸ“š
Quick Reference: ν•˜λ‹€-verbs (μŠ΅ν•˜λ‹€, κ±΄μ‘°ν•˜λ‹€, μŒ€μŒ€ν•˜λ‹€) just swap λ‹€ β†’ ν•΄μš”. 흐리닀/내리닀 use γ…£+μ–΄β†’μ—¬ (νλ €μš”/λ‚΄λ €μš”). 무λ₯λ‹€ is γ…‚-irregular, just like μ‹œλ„λŸ½λ‹€ β†’ μ‹œλ„λŸ¬μ›Œμš”.

Exercise 4 β€” Sentence Translation: English β†’ Korean 🌍

  1. The weather is nice today.
  1. What's the temperature today?
  1. It's very humid in summer.
  1. The air is dry in winter.
  1. It's chilly this morning.
  1. It's sweltering outside.
  1. I heard thunder just now.
  1. I saw lightning in the sky.
  1. There's a rainbow after the rain!
  1. A typhoon is coming this weekend.
Answer Key
  1. 였늘 날씨가 μ’‹μ•„μš”.
  1. 였늘 기온이 μ–΄λ•Œμš”?
  1. μ—¬λ¦„μ—λŠ” μ•„μ£Ό μŠ΅ν•΄μš”.
  1. κ²¨μšΈμ—λŠ” 곡기가 κ±΄μ‘°ν•΄μš”.
  1. 였늘 μ•„μΉ¨μ—λŠ” μŒ€μŒ€ν•΄μš”.
  1. 밖이 λ„ˆλ¬΄ λ¬΄λ”μ›Œμš”.
  1. 방금 천λ‘₯ μ†Œλ¦¬λ₯Ό λ“€μ—ˆμ–΄μš”.
  1. ν•˜λŠ˜μ—μ„œ 번개λ₯Ό λ΄€μ–΄μš”.
  1. λΉ„ 온 뒀에 λ¬΄μ§€κ°œκ°€ λ–΄μ–΄μš”!
  1. 이번 주말에 νƒœν’μ΄ μ™€μš”.

Exercise 5 β€” Opposite Pairs ↔️

  1. λ§‘μŒ ↔ ?
  1. μŠ΅ν•˜λ‹€ ↔ ?
  1. 무λ₯λ‹€ ↔ ?
  1. λΉ„ μ˜€λŠ” λ‚  ↔ ?
  1. λ°”λžŒμ΄ 많이 λΆ€λŠ” λ‚  ↔ ?
Answer Key
  1. λ§‘μŒ ↔ 흐림 (clear ↔ cloudy)
  1. μŠ΅ν•˜λ‹€ ↔ κ±΄μ‘°ν•˜λ‹€ (humid ↔ dry)
  1. 무λ₯λ‹€ ↔ μŒ€μŒ€ν•˜λ‹€ (sweltering ↔ chilly)
  1. λΉ„ μ˜€λŠ” λ‚  ↔ 맑은 λ‚  (rainy day ↔ clear day)
  1. λ°”λžŒμ΄ 많이 λΆ€λŠ” λ‚  ↔ λ°”λžŒμ΄ μ—†λŠ” λ‚  (windy day ↔ calm/windless day)
λ§‘μŒ, λΉ„, 눈, λ°”λžŒ, 흐림뢀터 날씨, 기온, νƒœν’κΉŒμ§€ β€” 이제 μ–΄λ–€ 날씨든 ν•œκ΅­μ–΄λ‘œ 말할 수 μžˆμ–΄μš”! πŸŒ¦οΈπŸŒˆβ›ˆοΈ