What is the difference between "てんき", "天気予報", "天候", "からっと", "天候デリバティブ"?

"てんき" means "weather", "天気予報" means "weather forecast", "天候" means "weather; atmospheric conditions", "からっと" means "1. (of weather) clear and dry; 2. (of food) crispy; 3. (of personality) cheerful, straightforward", "天候デリバティブ" means "Weather Derivative".

Quintuple VS

Synonym Boundary: "てんき", "天気予報", "天候", "からっと", "天候デリバティブ"

All represent the core concept "weather", but require precise selection.

Japanese Option A

てんき

てんき (tenki)

N5 / CEFR

Japanese Option B

天気予報

てんきよほう (tenki yohou)

N4 / CEFR

Japanese Option C

天候

てんこう (tenkou)

N4 / CEFR

Japanese Option D

からっと

からっと (karatto)

N2 / CEFR

Japanese Option E

天候デリバティブ

てんこうデリバティブ (tenkou deribatibu)

C2 / CEFR

Quintuple VS Nuance Contrast & Social Differences

When expressing "weather" in Japanese, you must carefully distinguish between "てんき", "天気予報", "天候", "からっと", "天候デリバティブ" based on context.

てんき (てんき (tenki) - Level: N5): Maps to "weather" and is used when Refers to the general weather conditions. Often used with adjectives like 良い.
天気予報 (てんきよほう (tenki yohou) - Level: N4): Maps to "weather forecast" and is used when Refers to the prediction of future weather conditions. テレビやインターネットで今日の天気などを伝える情報です。.
天候 (てんこう (tenkou) - Level: N4): Maps to "weather; atmospheric conditions" and is used when Refers to general weather conditions over a period. Often used in formal contexts or news. Similar to 天気.
からっと (からっと (karatto) - Level: N2): Maps to "1. (of weather) clear and dry; 2. (of food) crispy; 3. (of personality) cheerful, straightforward" and is used when An onomatopoeia describing a state of being dry, crisp, or a personality that is cheerful and open, without lingering negativity..
天候デリバティブ (てんこうデリバティブ (tenkou deribatibu) - Level: C2): Maps to "Weather Derivative" and is used when Essential structural term in CEFR C2 vocabulary syllabus..

Mixing these up can easily lead to unnatural translations. Refer to the bilingual context cards below to master the boundaries!

Context for "てんき"

今日の天気はどうですか。

How is the weather today?

Context for "天気予報"

今日の天気予報は晴れです。

Today's weather forecast is sunny.

Context for "天候"

今日の天候はとてもいいです。

Today's weather is very good.

Context for "からっと"

洗濯物がからっと乾いたので、気持ちがいい。

The laundry dried completely, so it feels good.

Context for "天候デリバティブ"

私は天候デリバティブに興味があります。

I am interested in Weather Derivative.

Synonym Mastery Challenge

Which Japanese word perfectly fits this blank space?

Fill in the blank: "今日の天気はどうですか。" (Meaning: "How is the weather today?")

🎉 Correct Answer!

Remember: "てんき" is correct here because it represents "weather" in the context: "How is the weather today?".