天気図（てんきず、tenkizu）
- weather map

The Japanese word 天気図 (てんきず, *tenkizu*) means "weather map". It is a visual representation of the atmospheric conditions over a specific area at a specific time. It shows various meteorological elements like air pressure, temperature, wind speed and direction, precipitation, and cloud cover, using symbols, lines, and colors. A 天気図 allows meteorologists and anyone interested to understand the current weather and predict future weather patterns.

⚫︎今日天気図を見て、雨が降るかどうか確認しましょう。 Translation: Let's look at the weather map today to check if it will rain. ⚫︎天気図は、気象予報士にとって非常に重要なツールです。 Translation: A weather map is a very important tool for meteorologists. ⚫︎旅行の前に、天気図で目的地の天気を確認しました。 Translation: Before the trip, I checked the weather of the destination on the weather map.

You use 天気図 when you are talking about a weather map itself, or when referring to the information presented on a weather map. It is suitable for both formal and informal contexts. You can use it when discussing weather forecasting, weather reports, or general atmospheric conditions.

天気図 is typically written in kanji and hiragana: 天気図. The kanji 天気 (てんき, *tenki*) means "weather," and 図 (ず, *zu*) means "chart" or "map". There is no variation in the okurigana.

There are no direct, single-word synonyms for 天気図. The meaning can be conveyed using phrases like: ⚫︎ 気象図 (*kishouzu*): "meteorological chart" or "weather chart" (more formal and technical) ⚫︎ 天気予報 (*tenkiyohou*): "weather forecast" (this is the general prediction based on the 天気図)

There are no direct antonyms for 天気図. However, you could consider words related to the lack of weather information, such as: ⚫︎ 無風 (*mufu*): "calm" or "no wind" (this doesn't directly oppose the concept of the map, but it could describe a weather condition not needing a detailed 天気図)

この天気図は、明日の東京の天気を詳しく示しています。 ・Translation: This weather map shows the weather in Tokyo tomorrow in detail. ・Explanation: This sentence explains that the weather map contains detailed weather information.

専門家は、最新の天気図を分析して、台風の進路を予測しました。 ・Translation: Experts analyzed the latest weather map to predict the typhoon's path. ・Explanation: This sentence highlights the importance of the weather map in predicting the path of a typhoon.

The word 天気図 is a compound word. It is a combination of two kanji: 天気 (*tenki*) and 図 (*zu*). As explained above, 天気 means "weather" and 図 means "chart" or "map," making the literal meaning "weather chart" or "weather map." This makes the word easily understandable even to learners of Japanese.