冷える

• Reading: ひえる
• Romaji: hieru
• Kanji breakdown: 冷 (rei/hi/tsu) — cold, cool, chill
• Pronunciation: /çi.e.ɾɯ/

Meaning

To grow cold; to get chilly; to cool down. Describes a gradual drop in temperature.

A Group 2 (ichidan) intransitive verb. Describes the process of becoming cold — body parts, rooms, relationships. The transitive pair is 冷やす (hiyasu, to cool something). Commonly used for weather, body temperature, and figuratively for cooling relationships.

Examples

1. 夜になると体が冷えるのでセーターを着ます。 My body gets cold at night, so I wear a sweater.
2. 足が冷えて眠れなかった。 My feet were so cold I couldn't sleep.
3. 今夜はかなり冷えるらしいですよ。 I hear it's going to get pretty cold tonight.

Usage Guide

Context: weather, health, daily life

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

The kanji 冷 combines 冫 (ice radical) with 令 (command, cool). Captures the sensation of coldness, originally from the ice radical indicating freezing temperatures.

Cultural Context

Era: Ancient

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal