暑い

• Reading: あつい
• Romaji: atsui
• Kanji breakdown: 暑 (sho/atsu) — hot (weather)
• Pronunciation: /a.t͡sɯ.i/

Meaning

Hot; warm; sultry. Describes hot weather or ambient temperature.

An i-adjective describing hot weather or climate. Important to distinguish from 熱い (atsui), which describes hot objects or liquids you can touch. 暑い is exclusively for atmospheric heat. Conjugates as 暑くない (not hot), 暑かった (was hot). Japanese summers are famously hot and humid.

Examples

1. 今日はとても暑いですね。 It's very hot today, isn't it?
2. 夏は暑いので毎日アイスを食べます。 Since it's hot in summer, I eat ice cream every day.
3. 昨日より暑くないです。 It's not as hot as yesterday.

Usage Guide

Context: weather, seasons, daily conversation

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

The kanji 暑 combines 日 (sun) with 者 (person/thing), suggesting the heat of the sun beating down. Used since Old Japanese for weather-related heat.

Cultural Context

Era: Ancient

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal