How to say “thunderstorm” in Chinese
3 phrases · Tourist, Learner, and Local levels · with pronunciation
有雷雨。
🔊 Yǒu léi yǔ
Literally: “There is thunder-rain.”
💡 雷雨 = thunderstorm
外面打雷闪电，雷阵雨来了。
🔊 Wài miàn dǎ léi shǎn diàn, léi zhèn yǔ lái le
Literally: “Outside thundering and lightning, thunderstorm has arrived.”
💡 打雷 = thunder strikes; 闪电 = lightning flash
电闪雷鸣，这种天气出门找死呢！
🔊 Diàn shǎn léi míng, zhè zhǒng tiān qì chū mén zhǎo sǐ ne!
Literally: “Lightning flashing thunder roaring, going out in this weather is asking for death!”
💡 电闪雷鸣 = classic 4-char idiom; 找死 = literally seeking death = crazy/dangerous
About these Chinese phrases
These Chinese weather phrases cover three levels of fluency for expressing thunderstorm conditions. The Tourist phrase is what any beginner can use immediately. The Learner phrase sounds natural in everyday conversation. The Local phrase uses authentic idioms and expressions that native speakers actually use — the kind of phrase that makes locals smile when they hear a foreigner use it.
Practice with audio pronunciation
Weather Lingo connects these phrases to your real current weather — so you learn in context, every single day.
Join the Waitlist