From the Archives: Warm and Cold

I don't usually repost old material, but lately the weather has really been making me think of this Japanese expression that I introduced a few years ago. Although perhaps now I'd translate it as "three cold four warm," as this time of year it doesn't really get "hot." Anyway, if you're living in a temperate clime and just biding your time until spring arrives, here's some Japanese for you, originally posted in March 2010:


The last couple weeks have been pretty mild. There was even a day or two that got up to around 18 C (about 64 F). And then it got cold again. And rainy and miserable. Towards the end of the week, though, things may heat up again. This kind of weather isn't unusual for the end of winter in temperate climes.

The other day I learned that there is a Japanese expression for this type of weather behavior. It's even a yo-ji (word or phrase made up of a 4-kanji chain)! Ready? Here it is:

三寒四温

It's pronounced 「さんかんしおん」(sankan-shion). Literally, the kanji mean "three cold four hot." When put into its proper context, it refers to the weather cycle that follows the rough pattern of three cold days and then four warm days.

I think it's a pretty cool phrase to know, but just be warned that it's not exactly mainstream. I learned it from a teacher that I work with, and although I tried to sneak it into conversations with some of my Japanese coworkers and friends, only about half of them knew what I was talking about.

Just another random thought 12/20/09: A different kind of cold

Japanese winters are rough. So are summers, but that's a different rant. Whenever it gets cold here, people talk about it. 寒いね！(samui ne). It's cold, huh? Often when I mention this fact or politely agree with a coworker or Japanese friend, I'll get a something along the lines of 「でも、ポールはニューヨークからでしょう？」(But you're from New York, aren't you?). Everyone over here has this image of New York being a frozen iceland, apparently. First off, I always tell them I'm from Long Island. Pretty temperate. It gets cold and snowy, but usually nothing crazy. Second, hasn't anyone in Japan ever heard of insulation? I mean, when you're cold in America, it's a different kind of cold. You're mostly exposed to it when you go outside or drive somewhere. Here, it's near constant! I kid you not, I just went to the bathroom and saw steam rising from my, uh, stream.