寒い

さむい
Alternative readings: さぶい
JLPT:N5
Frequency:

1Cold, as of the weather or a place — used to describe low air temperature that one physically feels.

I-Adjective

Examples

今日はとても寒いから、厚手のコートを着たほうがいい。

It's very cold today, so you should wear a heavy coat.

冬の朝の風が寒くて目が覚めた。

The winter morning wind was so cold it woke me up.

部屋が寒いので暖房をつけた。

The room was cold, so I turned on the heater.

北海道の冬はとても寒いと聞いた。

I heard that winters in Hokkaido are extremely cold.

2(colloquial) Uninteresting or lame — especially of a joke that falls flat and fails to get a laugh, leaving an awkward silence.

I-Adjective

Examples

彼のギャグは寒くて誰も笑わなかった。

His joke was so lame that nobody laughed.

その一言で場の空気が寒くなった。

That one remark made the atmosphere go cold and awkward.

自分では面白いと思ったが、周りには寒いと言われた。

I thought it was funny myself, but everyone around me said it was lame.

Word Relationships

Antonym
Derivations