秋 aki: Japanese Autumn Vocabulary

In this post we’re going to learn some Japanese autumn vocabulary. First, we’ll start with vocabulary for the beautiful colors of the season. Next, we’ll look at vocabulary related to fall weather and shorter days. After that we’ll talk about fall clothing. Finally, we’ll wrap up our discussion of Japanese autumn vocabulary with some expressions to help you capture the calm, quiet mood of the season.

色 iro. Colors.

Let’s start with the colors. 葉 ha Leaves and きれいな色 kireina iro beautiful colors are probably two of the first things that you think about when you think of fall. 赤い葉 akai ha red leaves, オレンジ色の葉 orenji iro no ha orange leaves, 黄色い葉 kiiroi ha yellow leaves, 金色の葉 kin’iro no ha gold leaves are everywhere at first, and then 茶色い葉が地面に落ちます  chairoi ha ga jimen ni ochimasu brown leaves fall to the ground.  Here is some leaf-peeping vocabulary in Japanese.

• 葉の色が変わっていきます。
  Ha no iro ga kawatte ikimasu.
  The leaves are changing color.
• この時期は木々がきれいです。
  Kono jiki wa kigi ga kirei desu.
  The trees are beautiful this time of year.
• 山腹が金色で染まっています。
  Sanpuku ga kin’iro de somatte imasu.
  The whole hillside is gold.
• 葉が木から落ちていきます。
  Ha ga ki kara ochite ikimasu.
  The leaves are falling off the trees.

寒くなっていきます。 Samuku natte ikimasu. It’s getting colder.

Next, let’s turn to fall weather. 涼しい季節 suzushii kisetsu Cool weather is probably the other thing that you first think of when you think of fall. If you live in a place where the seasons change a lot, you may want to say:

• 涼しいです。
  Suzushii desu.
  The weather is cool.
• 雨が降っていて曇っています。
  Ame ga futte ite kumotte imasu.
  It’s rainy and cloudy.
• 昼間は少し肌寒くて、夜は寒いです。
  Hiruma wa sukoshi hadazamukute, yoru wa samui desu.
  The days are chilly and the nights are cold.
• 風で葉が舞っています。
  Kaze de ha ga matte imasu.
  The wind is blowing the leaves.
• 空が灰色です。
  Sora ga haiiro desu.
  The sky is gray.

日が短くなっていきます。Hi ga mijikaku natte ikimasu. The days are getting shorter.

Now let’s talk about shorter fall days. With shorter fall days, you may want to say:

• 夏時間はいつですか。
  Natsujikan wa itsu desu ka.
  When is daylight savings time?
• 忘れずに時計を遅らせましたか。
  Wasurezu ni tokei o okurasemashita ka.
  Did you remember to turn your clock back?
• 早く暗くなります。
  Hayaku kuraku narimasu.
  It gets dark early.
• 太陽が早く沈みます。
  Taiyou ga hayaku shizumimasu.
  The sun sets early.
• 日光が少なくなります。
  Nikkou ga sukunaku narimasu.
  There’s less sunlight.

秋の服装 aki no fukusou. Autumn clothes.

Now let’s turn to autumn clothes. All of these fall changes probably mean a change in your wardrobe, too.

• ショートパンツもティーシャツもいりません。
  Shootopantsu mo tiishatsu mo irimasen.
  I don’t need my shorts and tee shirts.
• セーターを着ます。
  Seetaa o kimasu.
  I’m putting on a sweater.
• ジャケットを着なければなりません。
  Jaketto o kinakereba narimasen.
  I need to wear a jacket.
• 帽子とレインコートを着なければなりません。
  Boushi to reinkooto o kinakereba narimasen.
  I need to wear a hat and a raincoat.
• 私の傘はどこですか。
  Watashi no kasa wa doko desu ka.
  Where’s my umbrella?
• ベッドにもう一枚毛布を敷きましょう。
  Beddo ni mou ichimai moufu o shikimashou.
  Let’s put an extra blanket on the bed.

落ち着いた、静かな晩 ochitsuita, shizukana ban. Calm, Quiet Evenings.

Finally, let’s wrap up our Japanese autumn vocabulary with some expressions related to the mood of the season. Many people find fall to be the most relaxing season, and other people find it to be a bit sad.

• 今夜は家にいます。
  Kon’ya wa uchi ni imasu.
  I’m staying in tonight.
• 今夜は面白い本を読みます。
  Kon’ya wa omoshiroi hon o yomimasu.
  I’m reading an interesting book tonight.
• お茶を飲みます。
  Ocha o nomimasu.
  I’m drinking a cup of tea.
• 秋はいつもより早く寝ます。
  Aki wa itsumo yori hayaku nemasu.
  I go to bed earlier in the fall.
• 秋になるといつも悲しくなります。
  Aki ni naruto itsumo kanashiku narimasu.
  I always get sad in the fall.
• 夏の太陽と日の長さが恋しいです。
  Natsu no taiyou to hi no nagasa ga koishii desu.
  I miss the sun and the long days of summer.
• 秋になると悲しくなります。
  Aki ni naruto kanashiku narimasu.
  Fall depresses me.

Whether you say 秋は私の一番好きな季節です！ Aki wa watashi no ichiban sukina kisetsu desu! I love fall, it’s my favorite season! or 秋は好きじゃありません。暗くて、寒くて、悲しくなります。 Aki wa suki ja arimasen. Kurakute, samukute, kanashiku narimasu. I don’t like fall, it’s dark and cold and depressing, we wish you a happy and healthy season.

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