Whether you’re in Beijing, where temperatures can drop to -10 degrees, or in Shanghai, where the lowest temperatures usually hover around 2 degrees, today’s vocab will come in handy when you splurge on that padded coat or treat yourself to a warm 奶茶 nǎichá (milk tea).

Basic weather words

• 冬天 [dōngtiān]: winter
• 下雪 [xià xuě]: to snow
• 雪花 [xuěhuā]: snowflake
• 冰 [bīng]: ice
• 寒冷 [hánlěng]: very cold
• 暖和 [nuǎnhuo]: warm (you’re bound to hear this when the cold arrives!)

Winter clothes 

• 外套 [wàitào]: coat 
• 羽绒服 [yǔróngfú]: quilted anorak
• 围巾 [wéijīn]: scarf
• 手套 [shǒutào]: gloves
• 帽子 [màozi]: beanie
• 靴子 [xuēzi]: boots
• 保暖衣服 [bǎonuǎn yīfu]: thermals
• 棉袄 [mián’ǎo]: traditional padded coat (the kind that 阿姨 usually wear 😉）

Typical winter activities

• 滑冰 [huábīng]: ice skating 
• 滑雪 [huáxuě]: to ski
• 滑雪板 [huáxuěbān]: snowboard
• 堆雪人 [duī xuěrén]: to make a snowman
• 打雪仗 [dǎ xuězhàng]: to have a snowball fight

Typical winter food

• 火锅 [huǒguō]: hotpot (an absolute must in winter)
• 羊肉汤 [yángròutāng]: lamb soup
• 饺子 [jiǎozi]: dumplings (especially popular in the north)
• 腊肉 [làròu]: cured meat 
• 烤地瓜 [kǎo dìgua]: roasted sweet potato (very common as streetfood)
• 喝热水/喝热茶 [hē rèshuǐ / hē rè chá]: to drink hot water/tea

Winter objects

• 壁炉 [bìlú]: chimney
• 暖气 [nuǎnqì]: heat
• 暖宝宝 [nuǎnbǎobao]: disposable heaters (very common in China)
• 电热毯 [diànrètǎn]: electric blanket

Useful expressions

• 好冷啊！[hǎo lěng a!]: It’s so cold! 
• 冷死了！ [lěng sǐ le]: It’s freezing!
• 穿多一点！[chuān duō yīdiǎn!]: Wrap up! (literally “put on some more clothes!”) 
• 注意保暖！[zhùyì bǎonuǎn!]: Stay warm!
• 小心滑！[xiǎoxīn huá!]: Be careful not to slip!

Feeling toastier yet? Try writing a few sentences in the comments using any vocabulary that particularly caught your eye!