Meaning of “It will snow/rain a lot tomorrow” in Japanese (+ Other Languages)

Figurative Meaning of “It will snow/rain a lot tomorrow” in Japanese

In Japanese, “明日(あした)は大雪(おおゆき)/大雨(おおあめ)だ” literally means “It will snow/rain a lot tomorrow”, but figuratively it can also mean “It is so unlike you (to do such a nice thing)”. This expression is said ironically when someone does something nice that they usually don’t, and when apparently it won’t snow/rain in the next day — the heavy snow/rain is a metaphor for a rare event. This is not a very common phrase, probably getting a little outdated nowadays, but still used playfully in Japanese anime/manga sometimes.

Example Sentence

(太郎の父): 太郎(たろう)が早朝(そうちょう)に勉強(べんきょう)しているって？ こりゃ明日は大雪だな！
(Taro’s father): Taro is studying early in the morning? Well then, it’ll snow a lot tomorrow! (≒ what a miracle/what happened to him!)

In Other Languages

Interestingly, some of my followers/readers have mentioned that a similar figure of speech exists in other languages as well, which include Italian, French, Vietnamese, Sinhala, and Tamil (and probably more). According to them, the exact wordings are as follows:

• French: Il va neiger demain (“it will snow tomorrow”) 
• Italian: Domani piove! (“It will rain tomorrow!”)
• Vietnamese: ngày mai trời mưa/ bão to (“it will rain/storm a lot tomorrow”)
• Sinhala: Heta nam wahinawa (“tomorrow will be rainy”)
• Tamil: நாளைக்கு மழை வரப்போகுது (naalaikku mazhai varappokuthu)

If your language also has a similar expression, let me know so that I can list it here!

See also

“The moon is beautiful, isn’t it?” Could Mean “I love You” in Japanese

“The moon is beautiful, isn’t it?” Could Mean “I love You” in Japanese

20 Japanese Words and Onomatopoeia About Rain (雨, ame)

20 Japanese Words For Rain