The kanji character "cold" is pronounced "kan" or "samu."

What does this kanji mean?

[Beginner's Level] Let's think about the meaning of kanji

This kanji is a combination of four symbols that represent a person trying to stay warm indoors.

・U...House, roof

・＃…hay grass

・People...symbol of people

・冫…Ice, cold air

Were you able to guess the meaning from the origin of the kanji?

The answer is... "cold"

"寒" is mainly pronounced "samu" and is a kanji used in situations and sentences like the example sentence when you feel your body's temperature dropping.

Example sentences

"It was warm during the day, but it suddenly got cold in the evening."

(Hiruma wa atatakakatta no ni, yūgata ni natte kyū ni samuku natte kita.)

It was warm in the daytime, but suddenly became cold in the evening.

[Intermediate Level] Learn when it gets cold in Japan and places famous for their cold weather!

・Small cold (shōkan) and great cold (daikan)

In Japan, there is a calendar system called the "Nijyūshi-sekki" (24 solar terms), which divides the year into 24 parts and gives each part a name that represents the season. Among the "Nijyūshi-sekki" (24 solar terms), there are two seasons called "Small Cold" (shōkan) and "Great Cold" (daikan).

"Shokan" refers to the period from around January 5th to January 19th, when the winter cold begins to intensify. As "Shokan" is also the beginning of the new year, people eat "nanakusagayu" (rice porridge with seven herbs) to pray for good health and a good harvest for the coming year. "Nanakusagayu" is a rice porridge containing seven kinds of young greens. The seven kinds of young greens used in "nanakusagayu" include "seri" (water parsley), "nazuna" (shepherd's purse), and "gogyō" (gogyo), which are rich in vitamins and aid digestion, making them effective in easing stomach fatigue after the New Year holidays.

After "Shokan" (little cold), the season known as "Daikan" (great cold) arrives. "Daikan" refers to the period from around January 20th to February 3rd, when the coldest winter weather is at its coldest. During the "Daikan" season, eggs laid during "Daikan" (great cold), known as "Daikan-tamago," are sometimes eaten. "Daikan-tamago" are eggs laid by chickens that have eaten a lot of food during the harsh winter cold. For this reason, "Daikan-tamago" are rich in nutrients. It is said that eating "Daikan-tamago" (great cold eggs) will help you stay healthy even during the cold season.

・Winter greeting card (kanchū-mimai)

The period from "Little Cold (shōkan)" to "Great Cold (daikan)" is called "kanchū." During this time, people are more likely to get sick due to the cold weather, so it is customary to send greeting cards called "kanchū-mimai" to show concern for the health of relatives and acquaintances. In recent years, kanchū-mimai are often sent in response to New Year's cards sent during mourning periods when people are unable to send New Year's cards, which are customarily sent at New Year's.

Example sentences

"My father is planning to go and post some winter greeting cards this afternoon."

(Kyō no gogo, chichi wa kanchū mimai wo posuto ni tōkan shi ni iku yoteida.)

This afternoon, my dad will go to mail a winter greeting card.

・The coldest town in Japan: Rikubetsu Town, Hokkaido

Rikubetsu Town, located in the north of Japan, east of Hokkaido, is a small town with a population of about 2,500 people, but is known as the coldest region in Japan. Rikubetsu Town is a basin surrounded by mountains, so its terrain makes it easy for cold air to accumulate. The average minimum temperature in winter is about minus 20 degrees Celsius. A temperature of minus 20 degrees Celsius is so cold that even hair and eyelashes can freeze.

By the way, the average minimum winter temperature in Okinawa Prefecture, located in the south of Japan, is about 15°C, so even within the same country, there is a significant temperature difference between Hokkaido in the north and Okinawa Prefecture in the south.

Rikubetsu Town is holding an event called the "Shibare Festival" to promote the fact that it is the coldest town in Japan. "Shibareru" is a Hokkaido dialect word that means cold or chilly. In Hokkaido, the word "shibareru" is often used when temperatures are below freezing.

Example sentences

"Even though it's such a cold day, I accidentally forgot my scarf."

(Kon'nani shibareru hi na no ni, ukkari mafurā wo wasurete kite shimatta yo.)

I inadvertently forgot my scarf even though it was such a chilly day.

[Advanced] Let's try using proverbs and idioms that use the word "cold"!

"寒" is a kanji that is mainly used in winter. Here are some expressions using "寒" that are commonly used by Japanese people.

・Cold sky (samuzora)

It is used to describe the clear blue winter sky or the sky that looks as if it is about to freeze. "Samuzora" is used as a "kigo," a word that represents the season, in haiku, which are written in 17 syllables.

Example sentences

"The children are playing soccer energetically under the cold sky."

(Samuzora no shita, kodomo-tachi wa genki ni sakkā wo shite iru.)

Under the cold weather, the children are playing soccer energetically.

Haiku by the haiku poet Kobayashi Issa

"A Traveling Beggar in the Cold"

(Samuzora no doko de toshiyoru tabikojiki.)

Where will the beggars grow old in the cold weather?

・Cold wave (kanpa)

This refers to the weather in winter when air cooled near the poles and high latitudes spreads over a wide area of mid- and low-latitude regions. Cold waves around Japan bring heavy snowfall on the Sea of Japan side and cold winds on the Pacific side. When cold waves reach Japan, they can affect social activities such as agriculture and transportation.

Example sentences

"I was planning to go for a drive, but the roads are frozen over due to the cold wave."

(Sekkaku doraibu ni ikou to shita no ni, kanpa no eikyō de romen wa tōketsu shite shimatte iru.)

I tried to go for a drive, but the road surface was frozen due to the cold wave.

・Chill (kanki/samuke)

"Cold air" can be read in two ways. When read as "samuke," it means when a person feels cold or the degree of coldness a person feels. When read as "kanki," it means the weather that makes you feel cold. Be careful, as even if the same kanji is used, the meaning changes depending on how it is read.

Example sentences

"Maybe it's because I've been exposed to the cold from morning until night, but I can't stop feeling cold today."

(Asa kara ban made kanki ni sarasarete ita kara darou ka, kyō wa samuke ga tomaranai.)

Perhaps because I was exposed to the cold air from morning till night, I can't stop feeling cold today.

・The heat and cold will last until the equinox (atsusa samosa mo higan made)

In Japan, there are days called the "haru-higan" and "aki-higan," and on both days the length of day and night is almost the same. After the "haru-higan" the days become longer and the cold becomes less severe. Conversely, after the "aki-higan" the days become shorter and the heat becomes less severe. "Atsusa samosa mo higan made" is used mainly when it seems like the heat or cold should be over by now, but there's still no sign of it changing, to convey that "it'll soon be more comfortable to live in."

Example sentences

"They say the heat and cold will last until the equinox, but I can't feel the arrival of spring at all."

（Atsusa samusa mo higan made to iu keredo, ikkōni haru no otozure wo kanji rare nai.)

It's said that no heat or cold lasts over the equinox, but I can't feel the coming of spring at all.

We've introduced the meaning and usage of the kanji character "寒" (cold). If you're interested in the unique expressions and uses of Japanese kanji, why not check out Let's Play KARUTA to learn about the meanings and origins of various kanji characters?