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じめじめ jimejime
Damp, sticky, clammy air.
What does jimejime mean?
Rainy season in one word: laundry that never dries, sheets that feel faintly wet, hair with its own agenda. Also used for a gloomy mood.
Example
梅雨はじめじめして嫌になる。
The rainy season is so humid, I can't stand it.
Vibe
Who you can say this to, and how it lands.
Safe to use Fine in ordinary conversation.
The story behind jimejime
Tsuyu, the rainy season that parks over most of the country in June, is the reason this word gets a workout. Jimejime is not rain itself but what the rain leaves behind: laundry that hangs for two days and still loses, futons that feel faintly damp, a wall that has opinions about wallpaper, hair with plans of its own.
Japanese distinguishes its discomforts carefully, so mushimushi is the muggy heat that makes you sweat and jimejime is the clammy stickiness that makes you sigh. And like several weather words it moves indoors and attaches to people. A jimejime personality broods, complains sideways and never quite opens the windows.
Get jimejime in your pocket
じめじめ is one of 308 words in YABAI, a Japanese culture snack for Android. Every word comes with its meaning, an example sentence, a vibe check and a story like the one above — in 13 languages, read aloud by your device. Paid app: no ads, no sign-up, no subscription.
