The meaning of kaze (風, 風邪) in Japanese and how to use it

This article will give you all of the knowledge you need on the Japanese word kaze, including its Japanese definition and translation, example sentences, and more!

What does kaze mean?

Kaze means wind (written 風) or common cold (風邪) in Japanese. As a sound-poor language, there are lot of Japanese words sharing the same sound that have totally different meanings. In writing, you can often tell these terms apart based on their kanji characters.

Note that the phrase kaze ga tsuyoi, literally the wind is strong, means windy.

Below, we take a look at some examples of how to use kaze (かぜ) in Japanese.

To make it easier for you, I have written each sentence in full Japanese kanji on the first line, followed by roman letters (romaji), and hiragana, with the English meaning coming last.

Kaze meaning 1 = Wind

The Japanese word kaze can mean either wind or common cold.

今日は風が強いね。
Kyou wa kaze ga tsuyoi ne.
きょうはかぜがつよいね。
It’s windy today, isn’t it? (lit: the wind is strong today, isn’t it?)

今年の秋には風が強かった。
Kotoshi no aki ni wa kaze ga tsuyokatta.
ことしのあきにはかぜがつよかった。
We had some strong wind in the fall this year.

気温は低くはないけど、風が冷たい。
Kion wa hikuku wa nai kedo, kaze ga tsumetai.
きおんはひくくはないけど、かぜがつめたい。
The temperature isn’t low, but there’s a wind chill.

台風では、風の力で車が横転することもある。
Taifuu de wa, kaze no chikara de kuruma ga outen suru koto mo aru.
たいふうでは、かぜのちからでくるまがおうてんすることもある。
In typhoons, the wind‘s power can sometimes flip cars over.

Kaze meaning 2 = Common cold

風邪は少しよくなった。
Kaze wa sukoshi yoku natta.
かぜはすこしよくなった。
My cold has gotten a little better.

大丈夫？風ひいた？
Daijyoubu? Kaze hiita?
だいじょうぶ？かぜひいた？
Are you alright? Did you catch a cold?

風邪薬を使い切ったら教えて。また買うから。
Kazegusuri wo tsukaikittara oshiete. Mata kau kara.
かぜぐすりをつかいきったらおしえて。またかうから。
Let me know when you’ve used up the cold medicine. Then I’ll buy some more.

先週、風邪が酷くて、仕事の日は地獄みたいだった。
Senshuu, kaze ga hidokute, shigoto no hi wa jigoku mitai datta.
せんしゅう, かぜがひどくて、しごとのひはじごくみたいだった。
I had a really bad cold last week, so workdays felt like hell.

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Rohan

Rohan is a professional Japanese translator and the author behind Tanukiki.com, a blog that offers Japanese language tips and insights on life in Japan.

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What does kaze mean?

Kaze meaning 1 = Wind

Kaze meaning 2 = Common cold

Published by Rohan