Skip to content
Kotomora

冷

cool, cold (beer, person), chill

JLPTN3StatusJōyō · grade 4FrequencyTop 1,000Strokes7

Readings

On'yomi

  • レイ

Kun'yomi

  • つめ.たい
  • ひ.える
  • ひ.や
  • ひ.ややか
  • ひ.やす
  • ひ.やかす
  • さ.める
  • さ.ます

Meaning

冷 centers on a lack of warmth: something cool, cold, or chilled. It applies to physical temperature (cold beer, cool air) and can describe a chilly emotional tone in a person.

Most common words using 冷

24 of 240
  • 冷たいつめたい
    N5

    cold (to the touch); chilly; icy; freezing

  • 冷静れいせい
    N3

    calmness; composure; coolness; serenity; presence of mind

  • 冷蔵庫れいぞうこ
    N5

    refrigerator; fridge

  • 冷凍れいとう
    N3

    freezing; cold storage; refrigeration

  • 冷えひえ

    chilliness; coldness

  • 冷やすひやす
    N4

    to cool; to chill; to refrigerate

  • 冷めるさめる
    N3

    to cool down; to get cold

  • 冷却れいきゃく
    N1

    cooling; refrigeration

  • 冷房れいぼう
    N4

    air conditioning; air cooling

  • 冷戦れいせん
    N1

    cold war; the Cold War

  • 冷凍庫れいとうこ

    freezer

  • 冷酷れいこく
    N1

    cruelty; coldheartedness; relentless; ruthless

  • 寒冷かんれい
    N1

    cold; coldness; chilliness

  • 冷えるひえる
    N4

    to grow cold; to get chilly; to cool down

  • 冷徹れいてつ

    cool-headed; level-headed; hard-headed

  • 冷蔵れいぞう
    N1

    cold storage; refrigeration

  • 冷水れいすい
    N1

    cold water

  • 冷や汗ひやあせ
    N1

    cold sweat

  • 冷え性ひえしょう

    sensitivity to cold; poor circulation

  • 冷淡れいたん
    N1

    cool; indifferent; apathetic; half-hearted

  • 冷遇れいぐう

    cold reception; inhospitality

  • 冷ますさます
    N2

    to cool (e.g. from a high temperature to room temperature); to let cool

  • 冷暖房れいだんぼう

    air conditioning and heating

  • 冷ややかひややか
    N1

    cold; chilly; cool

Explore all words using 冷 →

Study

Etymology

冷 combines the ice radical 冫 with 令, which likely contributes the sound. The ice radical suggests coldness, while 令 may have originally depicted a person kneeling under a roof, but its role here is primarily phonetic.

Meaning mnemonic

The ice radical 冫 on the left gives the cold meaning. Picture a command (令) to chill: someone orders you to put the drinks on ice, so everything becomes cool.

Reading mnemonic

For レイ, imagine a ray of cold moonlight: ray -> レイ, and the icy light makes everything feel chilled.