What is the Kanji for "Cold"?

If you are wondering what is the Japanese Kanji for "Cold", you've come to the right place!

The Japanese Kanji for "Cold" is "冷".

This kanji has 4 readings:

Its kunyomi readings are "Sa", "Hi", and "Tsume".

Its onyomi reading is "Rei".

kunyomi readings are based on the pronunciation of native Japanese words, and onyomi readings are based on the Chinese pronunciation of the character.

If you visually breakdown this kanji, you can see is made up of 2 parts:

The radical "冫" means "Ice" . And The kanji "令" means "Orders" and can be read as "Rei".

Now, let's make sure you understand this kanji the other way around too.

What does the kanji "冷" mean in japanese?

"冷" means "Cold".

Japanese School Students learn this kanji in Fourth Grade, while foreigners may learn this kanji in preparation for the JLPT N3 exam.

Here are some words that use this kanji:

冷える: "Cool" or "Get cold". The Japanese verb '冷える (ひえる)' means 'to cool' or 'to get cold'. This verb is used to describe something that loses heat and becomes cooler in temperature. It can be used for physical objects as well as abstract concepts. For example: The water cooled - (水が冷えた). The atmosphere cooled after the storm passed - (嵐が過ぎて雰囲気が冷めた).

冷蔵庫: "Refrigerator". The Japanese noun '冷蔵庫 (れいぞうこ)' means 'refrigerator'. This refers to a household appliance used to store food and drinks at a low temperature to keep them fresh. Refrigerators are an essential part of modern kitchens. For example: I put the milk in the refrigerator - (牛乳を冷蔵庫に入れた). The food is in the refrigerator - (食べ物は冷蔵庫にある).

冷房: "Air conditioning". The verbal noun '冷房 (れいぼう)' means 'air conditioning'. This term refers to the process or system of cooling and dehumidifying the air in an enclosed space, such as a room or building, to provide a comfortable indoor environment. It is commonly used in Japan to describe the act of operating an air conditioning unit. For example: Please turn on the air conditioning - (冷房をつけてください). The air conditioning is broken - (冷房が壊れています).

冷たい: "Cold". The adjective '冷たい (つめたい)' means 'cold'. It is used to describe something that has a low temperature, whether it is an object, a liquid, or a sensation. It can also be used metaphorically to describe a person's attitude or behavior as being cold and distant. For example: The water is cold - (水が冷たい). The girl gave me a cold look - (その女の子は私に冷たい目つきをした).

冷ます: "Cool" or "Calm". The Japanese verb '冷ます (さます)' has two main meanings. The first meaning is 'to cool', referring to lowering the temperature of something, such as food or a beverage. For example: I will cool the tea - (お茶を冷ますつもりです). The second meaning is 'to calm', used to describe soothing or settling an excited or agitated state. For example: I will calm the child - (子供を冷ましますます).

冷蔵: "Refrigeration". The noun '冷蔵 (れいぞう)' refers to the process of refrigeration, the act of cooling and preserving food or other perishable items at a low temperature. It is commonly used to describe refrigerators and their function. For example: The refrigeration keeps the food fresh - (冷蔵が食べ物を新鮮に保ちます). My refrigerator has excellent refrigeration capabilities - (私の冷蔵庫は冷蔵性能が優れています).

冷める: "Cool". The verb '冷める (さめる)' means 'to cool'. It is used to describe when something, such as food or liquid, loses its heat and becomes cooler. This verb can also be used figuratively to describe when emotions, enthusiasm or excitement subside. For example: The soup cooled - (スープが冷めた). His enthusiasm cooled over time - (彼の熱意は時間とともに冷めていった).

冷やす: "Chill" or "Cool". The Japanese verb '冷やす (ひやす)' means to chill or cool something down. It is commonly used to describe the action of lowering the temperature of food, drink or other objects. For example: Let's chill the beer - (ビールを冷やしましょう). I chilled the water to drink - (水を冷やして飲みました).

冷え込む: "Cool" or "Chill". The Japanese verb '冷え込む (ひえこむ)' means 'to cool' or 'to chill'. This verb is used to describe a decrease in temperature or a cooling sensation. It can be used to refer to the weather becoming colder or to a physical object like a room or a person's body temperature dropping. For example: The temperature has chilled - (気温が冷え込んでいる). The room chilled as the window was opened - (窓を開けたらその部屋が冷え込んだ).

冷やかす: "Cool" or "Tease". The Japanese verb '冷やかす (ひやかす)' has two primary meanings. The first meaning is 'to cool' or 'to chill', as in cooling down a hot beverage or item. The second meaning is 'to tease' or 'to mock', implying making fun of someone in a playful or mocking manner. For example: Let's cool the drinks - (飲み物を冷やかそう). Don't tease me! - (私をからかわないでください).

冷凍: "Freeze". The verbal noun '冷凍 (れいとう)' means 'to freeze'. It refers to the process of lowering the temperature of an object or substance to the point where it becomes solid. This is commonly done to preserve food and other perishable items. For example: I need to freeze the meat to prevent it from spoiling - (肉を腐敗するのを防ぐために冷凍する必要がある). The meat was frozen solid - (肉は固く冷凍された).

冷静: "Calm". The Japanese adjectival noun '冷静 (れいせい)' means 'calm'. This term describes a state of emotional tranquility and composure, often in the face of challenging or stressful situations. It conveys a sense of collected, rational thinking and restraint. For example: She remained calm and collected during the emergency - (彼女は緊急事態の中で冷静でいた). He spoke in a calm manner - (彼は冷静な様子で話した).

冷淡: "Coldness". The adjectival noun '冷淡 (れいたん)' means 'coldness'. This word describes a lack of warmth, emotion, or sympathy towards someone or something. It can refer to a cold, detached, or indifferent attitude or manner. For example: Her coldness towards me was upsetting - (彼女の私に対する冷淡さは私を傷つけた). The coldness of his response surprised me - (彼の返事の冷淡さに私は驚いた).

To make really sure you learn this Kanji, I've prepared an interactive lesson for you. You are going to learn the readings and meanings of this kanji.

But first, you need to know a little bit about Hiragana and Katakana.

Hiragana and katakana are japanese syllabaries, this means that each character represents a syllable.

This are the characters you need to know for this lesson:

The hiragana "さ" is read as "sa". The hiragana "ひ" is read as "hi". The hiragana "れ" is read as "re". The hiragana "い" is read as "i". The hiragana "つ" is read as "tsu". And The hiragana "め" is read as "me".

Heres a quick tutorial on how to use it. You'll be asked three type of questions: meaning, reading, and writing.

For meanings questions all you have to do is type the english meaning. If there is more than one meaning, you have to include them all in your answer separating them by commas (,).

For Reading questions you have to type the reading in romaji (roman letters, our normal alphabet) and it'll be automatically converted to hiragana if necessary. If there is more than one reading, you have to include them all in your answer separating them by commas (,).

For Writing questions some options will appear and all you have to do is select the correct ones.