Translation guide
How to express 'cool down' in Japanese, covering physical cooling, emotional calming, and metaphorical uses.
Describing something (food, drink, weather, body) becoming less hot.
Intransitive verb for something hot naturally cooling down to room temperature. Used for food, drinks, bathwater, etc.
スープが冷めた。
The soup cooled down.
お茶が冷めないうちに飲んでください。
Please drink the tea before it cools down.
Intransitive verb for something becoming cold, often from an external cause or over time. Used for weather, body parts, or things that get chilly.
夜は冷えるから、上着を持って行ったほうがいいよ。
It cools down at night, so you should bring a jacket.
手足が冷えて眠れない。
My hands and feet get cold and I can't sleep.
Transitive verb for cooling something down intentionally. Used when you actively cool food, drinks, etc.
熱いコーヒーを冷ましてから飲んだ。
I cooled down the hot coffee and then drank it.
うちわでご飯を冷ます。
Cool down the rice with a fan.
Transitive verb for actively chilling something, often using ice or refrigeration. Stronger than 冷ます.
ビールを冷蔵庫で冷やしてください。
Please cool down the beer in the fridge.
Becoming less angry, excited, or agitated.
Intransitive verb meaning to calm down, settle down, or regain composure. The most common and natural way to say 'cool down' emotionally.
ちょっと落ち着いて。
Cool down a bit.
彼は怒っていたけど、だんだん落ち着いてきた。
He was angry, but gradually cooled down.
To become calm and composed. Slightly more formal than 落ち着く.
まず冷静になって、状況を説明してください。
First, cool down and explain the situation.
Making a heated argument, conflict, or romantic involvement less intense.
Literally 'the heat cools down', used for passion, enthusiasm, or romantic feelings fading.
付き合い始めた頃の熱が冷めてきた。
The initial passion has cooled down.
Formal term for a situation or conflict calming down, often used in news or reports.
抗議活動は徐々に沈静化した。
The protests gradually cooled down.
Performing light activity to gradually lower heart rate after a workout.
Loanword from English, commonly used in sports and fitness contexts.
運動の後は必ずクールダウンしてください。
Please always cool down after exercise.
Native Japanese term for cool-down exercises, literally 'organizing exercise'.
整理運動をしないと筋肉痛になるよ。
If you don't cool down, you'll get muscle pain.
冷める (sameru) is used when something hot returns to room temperature (e.g., soup, tea). 冷える (hieru) is used when something becomes cold, often from an external source or weather (e.g., body, night air). 冷める implies a loss of heat, while 冷える implies becoming chilly.
風呂が冷めた。
The bath cooled down (lost its heat).
夜になって冷えてきた。
It's gotten chilly as night fell.
冷める is not used for a person calming down emotionally. Use 落ち着く or 頭を冷やす instead. Saying 人が冷める would mean the person's body temperature cooled down, not their emotions.
Literally 'cool one's head', meaning to cool down one's anger or excitement. Often used as advice.
頭を冷やしたほうがいいよ。
You should cool down (your head).
散歩して頭を冷やしてくる。
I'll go for a walk and cool down.