Weather and News Broadcasts

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to understand key vocabulary and phrases used in Japanese weather reports and news broadcasts, including common expressions for weather conditions, forecasts, and news headlines.

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Weather and news broadcasts in Japanese use a set of predictable patterns and specialized vocabulary. Understanding these patterns—like how to describe weather changes, express probability, and introduce breaking news—will help you follow real broadcasts without getting lost.

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1. Key Weather Vocabulary

Weather reports often start with a general overview, then move to specific regions and times.

2. Common Weather Report Phrases

Broadcasters use these patterns to describe changes and forecasts.

3. News Broadcast Vocabulary

News reports use formal language and specific terms for headlines.

4. Common News Broadcast Phrases

These patterns help you catch the main point of a news story.

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Example 1 (Weather)

今日の東京の天気は晴れです。気温は25度まで上がります。
Kyou no Toukyou no tenki wa hare desu. Kion wa nijuu-go-do made agarimasu.
"Today's weather in Tokyo is sunny. Temperatures will rise to 25 degrees."今日東京天気

Example 2 (Weather)

明日は曇りで、午後から雨が降るでしょう。降水確率は60%です。
Ashita wa kumori de, gogo kara ame ga furu deshou. Kousui kakuritsu wa rokujuu-paasento desu.
"Tomorrow will be cloudy, and it will probably rain from the afternoon. The chance of rain is 60%."明日曇午後雨

Example 3 (News)

速報です。高速道路で事故がありました。現在、通行止めになっています。
Sokuhou desu. Kousoku douro de jiko ga arimashita. Genzai, tsuukoudome ni natte imasu.
"Breaking news. There was an accident on the expressway. Currently, it is closed to traffic."速報高道路事

Example 4 (News)

台風の影響で、明日の飛行機に欠航が出る可能性があります。
Taifuu no eikyou de, ashita no hikouki ni kekkou ga deru kanousei ga arimasu.
"Due to the typhoon, there is a possibility of flight cancellations tomorrow."台風影響明日

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Mistake: Confusing 天気 (tenki - weather) with 天気予報 (tenki yohou - weather forecast).天気予報

• 天気 is the actual weather condition.天気
• 天気予報 is the prediction/forecast.天気予報

Example of error:

❌ 今日の天気予報は晴れです。 (Kyou no tenki yohou wa hare desu.)
This literally says "Today's weather forecast is sunny," which is unnatural.今日天気予報

Correct:

✅ 今日の天気は晴れです。 (Kyou no tenki wa hare desu.)
"Today's weather is sunny."今日天気晴

Another common error: Using でしょう (deshou) for certain facts.

❌ 今、雨が降っていますでしょう。 (Ima, ame ga futte imasu deshou.)
This sounds like "It is probably raining now," but if you see it raining, use ます.今雨降

Correct:

✅ 今、雨が降っています。 (Ima, ame ga futte imasu.)
"It is raining now."今雨降

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Fill in the blanks with the correct word from the lesson.

1. 明日の天気は___でしょう。 (Tomorrow's weather will probably be rainy.)
   → 明日の天気は雨でしょう。明日天気雨

   明日天気雨

2. 台風の___で、電車が止まっています。 (Due to the influence of the typhoon, trains are stopped.)
   → 台風の影響で、電車が止まっています。台風電車止影

   台風電車止影

3. 気温は___度まで上がります。 (Temperatures will rise to 15 degrees.)
   → 気温は十五度まで上がります。気温度上十五

   気温度上十五

4. これは___です。 (This is breaking news.)
   → これは速報です。速報

   速報

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Summary:

• You learned key vocabulary for weather (天気, 予報, 気温, 降水確率) and news (速報, 事件, 事故, 影響).天気予報温降
• You practiced common broadcast phrases like "…でしょう" for probability and "…によりますと" for citing sources.
• You can now identify the main topic and key details in a short weather or news broadcast.

Next Step:
Practice listening to real Japanese weather reports or news clips (NHK News Web Easy is a great free resource). Try to catch the vocabulary you learned here, and note any new words you hear. In the next lesson, we will cover how to understand numbers and times in broadcasts more fluently.