June 21 was 夏至 (geshi, the summer solstice), the official first day of 夏 (natsu, summer). From now on, the one word you’ll start hearing more of will probably be 暑い (atsui, hot).

When temperatures climb above 30 degrees Celsius, the body reacts. Blood pressure drops, meaning the heart must work harder to circulate blood throughout the body. Profuse sweating cools the skin and muscles while draining fluids and salt. This combination of 低血圧 (teiketsuatsu, low blood pressure) and 脱水状態 (dassui jōtai, dehydration) can result in 熱中症 (necchūshō, heatstroke) or worse.

That leads to some other commonly heard expressions: 蒸し蒸しする (mushi-mushi suru, “It’s hot and muggy”), お腹すいた (o-naka suita, “I’m hungry”), 喉乾いた (nodo kawaita, “I’m thirsty”) and 体がだるい (karada ga darui, “My body feels sluggish”). When those phrases start appearing, it’s time to look for ways to beat the heat.

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