If you are in China this summer, the weather has probably been one of the most popular topics (and reasons to complain!) in conversations with your Chinese colleagues and friends. This week, let's learn some Chinese adjectives for describing hot and cold temperature, so you can join in on weather conversations and express your own experiences.

From Hot to Cold: Temperature Adjectives

01. Warm

暖和 (nuǎn huo) refers to warm and comfortable weather. You typically experience this kind of weather in spring and autumn when it's neither too hot nor too cold.

暖和

nuǎn huo

warm; nice and warm

You can use this sentence to describe a pleasant and mild weather:

今天很暖和。

Jīn tiān hěn nuǎn huo.

The weather is warm today.

02. Hot

热 (rè) is the most common word that Chinese people use to express "hot".

热

rè

hot

NOTE

This word is versatile because it can describe not only the weather, but also food and drinks, and even personal feelings. Here are a few examples:

今天天气很热。

Jīn tiān tiān qì hěn rè.

The weather is hot today.

我要一杯热咖啡。

Wǒ yào yī bēi rè kā fēi.

I'd like a cup of hot coffee.

我觉得很热。

Wǒ jué de hěn rè.

I'm feeling hot.

03. Scorching

In Chinese, 炎热 (yán rè) can only be used to describe the weather, and its degree of "hotness" is higher than that of 热 (rè).

炎热

yán rè

scorching

NOTE

In summer, the temperature in some parts of China (especially in the south) could reach 40 degrees, and 炎热 (yán rè) is exactly the word you need to describe this kind of scorching weather.

今年的夏天异常炎热！

Jīn nián de xià tiān yì cháng yán rè!

The summer was unusually hot this year!

04. Hot and Stuffy

During the summer season, the weather is often very humid in China, and combined with the high temperature, it sometimes makes people feel quite sultry.

The character 闷 (mēn) means "stuffy", which can be used to describe a room that hasn't been ventilated in a while.

闷热

mēn rè

hot and stuffy

If you dislike hot and stuffy weather, you can express it to your Chinese friends by saying:

我不喜欢闷热的天气。

Wǒ bù xǐ huan mēn rè de tiān qì.

I don't like hot and stuffy weather.

05. Cool and Pleasant

For pleasantly cool temperature, which you can feel in mid-autumn, Chinese people often use the word 凉快 (liáng kuai).

凉快

liáng kuai

pleasantly cool

NOTEAfter a heavy rain, the air turns cool and pleasant. Here's how to say it in Chinese:

一场大雨过后，天气凉快下来了。

Yī chang dà yǔ guò hòu, tiān qì liáng kuai xià lái le.

It cooled off after the downpour.

06. Cold

Now, let's explore the word that describes "cold".

冷

lěng

cold

NOTESimilar to 热 (rè), 冷 (lěng) can be used to describe the weather, food and one's personal feeling. For example:

北京冬天很冷。

Běi jīng dōng tiān hěn lěng.

In Beijing, it's cold in winter.

我点了两个冷菜。

Wǒ diǎn le liǎng gè lěng cài.

I ordered two cold dishes.

我的手很冷。

Wǒ de shǒu hěn lěng.

My hands are feeling cold.

07. Freezing

In winter, 寒冷 (hán lěng) can be often heard in northern China, where the temperature could reach as low as -30 degrees.

寒冷

hán lěng

freezing cold

NOTEIf you visit northern regions during the winter, keep these phrases in mind to express how you feel about the weather:

这里极其寒冷。

Zhè lǐ jí qí hán lěng.

It's extremely cold here.

我感到了刺骨的寒冷!

Wǒ gǎn dào le cì gǔ de hán lěng!

I felt the biting cold!

literally "I-felt-piercing to the bones-cold"