눈이 와요.
nuni wayo.
It's snowing.
Phrase in 30 Seconds
Use '눈이 와요' to tell someone that it is currently snowing outside in a polite, friendly way.
- Means: 'Snow is coming' or 'It is snowing.'
- Used in: Daily conversations, weather reports, and romantic winter scenes.
- Don't confuse: '눈' (snow) with '눈' (eye) based on context alone.
Explanation at your level:
Signification
To state that precipitation in the form of snow is occurring.
Contexte culturel
The 'First Snow' (첫눈) is a day for lovers. Many people believe that if you meet your crush during the first snow, you will fall in love. For soldiers in the Korean military, snow is often called 'beautiful trash' (예쁜 쓰레기) because they have to shovel it constantly to keep the bases clear. Gangwon-do is the snowiest region in Korea. People there have specific traditional snowshoes called 'dubari' to walk through deep snow. In Seoul, '눈이 와요' is often followed by a check on the subway app, as snow causes significant traffic delays on the roads.
Drop the particle
In casual conversation with friends, you can just say '눈 와요' or '눈 온다'.
Eye vs Snow
While they look the same, context usually makes it clear. No one says 'Eyes are coming from the sky'!
Signification
To state that precipitation in the form of snow is occurring.
Drop the particle
In casual conversation with friends, you can just say '눈 와요' or '눈 온다'.
Eye vs Snow
While they look the same, context usually makes it clear. No one says 'Eyes are coming from the sky'!
Use '내리다' for photos
If you post a photo of snow on Instagram, '눈이 내려요' sounds more aesthetic than '눈이 와요'.
The First Snow Text
If it's the first snow, text your Korean friends '첫눈이 와요!'. They will appreciate the gesture.
Teste-toi
Fill in the missing particle.
눈__ 와요.
'눈' ends in a consonant, so the subject particle '이' is used.
Which sentence means 'It snowed yesterday'?
어제...
'왔어요' is the past tense of '와요'.
Complete the dialogue.
A: 밖에 날씨가 어때요? B: 창밖을 보세요. _______.
'눈이 와요' is the standard way to describe snowing.
Match the phrase to the feeling.
와! 첫눈이 와요!
The first snow (첫눈) is a very exciting and romantic event in Korea.
🎉 Score : /4
Aides visuelles
Weather Verbs
Questions fréquentes
12 questionsIn the past, 'snow' was a long vowel and 'eye' was short, but in modern Seoul dialect, they are pronounced identically. Context is everything.
Yes, '내려요' (falls) is perfectly correct and sounds a bit more poetic or formal.
Add '많이' (man-i): '눈이 많이 와요'.
There isn't a direct opposite verb, but you can say '눈이 안 와요' (It's not snowing) or '눈이 그쳤어요' (The snow has stopped).
It's a linguistic habit that treats weather as something arriving at your location.
You can, but '폭설이 내려요' (A blizzard is falling) is more accurate for extreme weather.
Yes, it's polite (존댓말). However, '눈이 옵니다' is even more formal.
저는 눈을 좋아해요.
It means 'first snow' (첫 = first, 눈 = snow).
Yes, that is the present progressive form, emphasizing that it is snowing *right this second*.
Young people might say '눈 온다!' as an exclamation.
Yes, the Hanja for snow is {雪|설}, but in daily speech, the native '눈' is almost always used.
Expressions liées
비가 와요
similarIt is raining
눈이 내려요
synonymSnow is falling
눈이 쌓여요
builds onSnow is piling up
눈을 치워요
contrastTo shovel/clear snow
첫눈
specialized formFirst snow
Où l'utiliser
Texting a friend
민수: 지수야, 밖을 봐! 눈 와!
지수: 우와, 진짜? 너무 예쁘다!
Weather Report
기상캐스터: 내일은 전국적으로 눈이 오겠습니다.
시청자: 내일 출근길이 걱정되네.
First Date
수진: 어? 눈이 와요!
도윤: 우리 같이 보는 첫눈이네요.
Office Small Talk
김 과장: 창밖을 보세요. 눈이 오네요.
이 대리: 네, 퇴근할 때 조심해야겠어요.
Calling Parents
아들: 어머니, 거기도 눈이 와요?
어머니: 아니, 여기는 안 온다. 거기는 많이 오니?
At a Ski Resort
관광객: 눈이 와서 스키 타기 딱 좋아요!
직원: 네, 오늘 눈 질이 아주 좋습니다.
Memorize It
Mnemonic
Think of 'Noon' (눈). At high noon, the 'Snow' (눈) 'Comes' (와요) to say hello!
Visual Association
Imagine a giant white eye (눈) in the sky crying white snowflakes that 'come' down to the ground to meet you.
Rhyme
Winter is here, have no fear, Nun-i wayo, snow is near!
Story
You are waiting for a friend named 'Nun'. You look out the window and see white flakes. You shout, 'Nun-i wayo!' because your friend Snow has finally arrived at your house.
Word Web
Défi
Look at a picture of a snowy scene and say '눈이 와요' out loud five times with different emotions: happy, sad, surprised, tired, and romantic.
In Other Languages
Nieva
Spanish is one word; Korean is a subject-verb pair.
Il neige
French uses 'it'; Korean uses 'snow' as the active subject.
Es schneit
German uses an impersonal 'it' structure.
雪が降る
The choice of verb (fall vs. come).
تثلج
Arabic is a single conjugated verb.
下雪
Word order and grammatical roles of 'snow'.
눈이 오네예
Sentence ending particle.
Está nevando
Use of auxiliary verbs.
Easily Confused
Both start with '눈이'.
Check the verb. '아파요' means hurt (eyes hurt), '와요' means come (it's snowing).
Can mean 'Look at the snow' or 'Look into my eyes'.
Context is key. If you are outside in winter, it's snow. If you are on a date, it's eyes.
FAQ (12)
In the past, 'snow' was a long vowel and 'eye' was short, but in modern Seoul dialect, they are pronounced identically. Context is everything.
Yes, '내려요' (falls) is perfectly correct and sounds a bit more poetic or formal.
Add '많이' (man-i): '눈이 많이 와요'.
There isn't a direct opposite verb, but you can say '눈이 안 와요' (It's not snowing) or '눈이 그쳤어요' (The snow has stopped).
It's a linguistic habit that treats weather as something arriving at your location.
You can, but '폭설이 내려요' (A blizzard is falling) is more accurate for extreme weather.
Yes, it's polite (존댓말). However, '눈이 옵니다' is even more formal.
저는 눈을 좋아해요.
It means 'first snow' (첫 = first, 눈 = snow).
Yes, that is the present progressive form, emphasizing that it is snowing *right this second*.
Young people might say '눈 온다!' as an exclamation.
Yes, the Hanja for snow is {雪|설}, but in daily speech, the native '눈' is almost always used.
