ジメジメ

• Reading: ジメジメ
• Romaji: jime jime
• Pronunciation: /dʑi.me.dʑi.me/

Meaning

Describes a humid, damp, or clammy atmosphere — the sticky discomfort of moisture hanging in the air.

ジメジメ is the go-to onomatopoeia for Japan's notoriously muggy rainy season (梅雨). It evokes not just physical humidity but also the gloomy, oppressive mood that comes with it. The word can also describe damp places like basements or poorly ventilated rooms, and metaphorically a person with a gloomy, wet-blanket personality.

Examples

1. 梅雨の時期はずっとジメジメして洗濯物が乾かない。 During rainy season it's humid nonstop and the laundry never dries.
2. この部屋ジメジメしてない？換気しようよ。 Doesn't this room feel damp and clammy? Let's open a window.
3. ジメジメした性格の人って一緒にいて疲れるよね。 People with gloomy, damp personalities are exhausting to be around.

Usage Guide

Context: weather, daily life, describing places, personality

Tone: negative, uncomfortable

Do Say

• 今日ジメジメしてて最悪 (It's so humid today, the worst)
• ジメジメした天気が続くとテンション下がる (Ongoing humid weather kills my mood)

Don't Say

• 乾燥した冬に「ジメジメ」は合わない (Don't use 'jime jime' in dry winter weather — it's specifically for damp humidity)

Common Mistakes

• Confusing ジメジメ with ムシムシ — both relate to humidity but ムシムシ emphasizes stuffiness and heat, while ジメジメ focuses on dampness
• Not knowing the metaphorical personality meaning — ジメジメした人 means a gloomy, depressing person

Origin & History

Traditional Japanese mimetic word (擬態語) describing the sensation of moisture and dampness. Has been used for centuries and is closely associated with Japan's humid summer climate and tsuyu rainy season.

Cultural Context

Era: Traditional onomatopoeia

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal

Regional notes: Used across all of Japan. Especially frequent during 梅雨 (tsuyu, the June-July rainy season).