Learn Hardcore Japanese: asatte ha ame desu ka? - Will it be rainy the day after tomorrow?

明後日 means “the day after tomorrow.” It’s pronounced あさって (asatte) in everyday Japanese. There is also an on-yomi reading みょうごにち, but that’s rare in conversation and mainly used in formal writing.

Why is the particle は used after 明後日, and what does it do here?

The particle は marks 明後日 as the topic of the sentence. In Japanese, the topic is what you’re talking about, not necessarily the grammatical subject. So 明後日は means “as for the day after tomorrow.” It sets up the frame for the rest of your comment or question.

Why isn’t there a subject like “weather” in this sentence?

Japanese often omits obvious or contextually understood subjects. Here, talking about 雨 (rain) already implies the weather. Adding “weather” (天気が) would be redundant. The listener knows you’re asking about the weather for the day after tomorrow.

Why does 雨 not take a particle like が?

Because 雨 is the complement to the copula です, not a subject that needs marking by が. In sentences like A は B です, B is a noun phrase or adjective describing the topic; it doesn’t get its own particle.

How does the copula です function after a noun?

です is a polite copula (“to be”). When you attach です to a noun (like 雨), it turns the noun into a polite predicate: “is rain.” Without です, you’d have a very plain or abrupt statement like 雨か.

What is the function of か at the end of the sentence?

The particle か turns the sentence into a question. Combined with です, ですか marks a polite yes/no question: “Is it (going to be) rain?”

Could I use でしょうか instead of ですか to ask this question?

Yes. でしょうか is a softer, more tentative way to ask, as if you’re less certain:
• 明後日は雨でしょうか？ (“I wonder if it will rain the day after tomorrow.”)
Using でしょうか often sounds more polite or indirect than ですか.

Why is the word order 明後日は雨ですか, instead of “Will it rain the day after tomorrow?”

Japanese commonly uses a topic–comment structure. You start with the time frame (明後日は) as the topic, then state/comment on it (雨ですか？). In English you’d say “Will it rain…,” putting the verb first, but in Japanese the copula です (to be) follows the noun.

How would you answer this question in Japanese if you knew it would rain?

You could say:
• はい、明後日は雨です。 (“Yes, it will rain the day after tomorrow.”)
Or more simply:
• はい、雨です。
If you want to say it won’t rain:
• いいえ、雨じゃありません／雨ではありません。

How could I ask the same question in casual (plain) Japanese?

In casual speech you can drop です and even か if the rising intonation alone signals a question. For example:
• 明後日雨？
• 明後日雨かな？ (adds “I wonder…”)
Or keep か but drop です:
• 明後日は雨か？