Mission—Team—FAQ—Privacy—Terms—Sponsors—Grammar—Typing Course—Donate

© 2026 Elon Automation B.V.

Learn Hardcore Japanese: tumetai mizu ga ha ni simimasu. - Cold water makes my tooth hurt sharply.

Hardcore Japanese
/Getting treatment at the dentist
/tsumetai mizu ga ha ni shimimasu.

tsumetai mizu ga ha ni shimimasu.

冷つめたい　水みず　が　歯は　に　しみます。tsumetai mizu ga ha ni shimimasu.

Cold water makes my tooth hurt sharply.

Breakdown of tsumetai mizu ga ha ni shimimasu.

subject particle

location particle

Questions & Answers about tsumetai mizu ga ha ni shimimasu.

How do I read this sentence out loud?

A natural reading is:

つめたいみずがはにしみます。
Tsumetai mizu ga ha ni shimimasu.

A few notes:

冷たい = つめたい
水 = みず
歯 = は
しみます = shimimasu

Even though 歯 is written with the kana は, here it is read ha, not wa. Only the particle は is read wa.

What does しみます mean here?

In this sentence, しみます means something like:

sting
hurt sharply
send a sharp sensation into
be sensitive to

So 冷たい水が歯にしみます means that cold water causes a sharp, unpleasant feeling in the teeth.

This is a very common Japanese expression for tooth sensitivity. It is not the same as just general pain like 歯が痛い (my tooth hurts). しみる / しみます specifically suggests a sharp sensation caused by something like cold, heat, sweetness, etc.

Why is 水 marked with が?

Nihon-shiki romanizationwatasi ha tyuugoku kara kimasita

Hepburn romanizationwatashi wa chuugoku kara kimashita

冷つめたいtsumetai

しみるshimiru

to be sensitive (to heat or cold)

Elon.io is an online learning platform

We have hundreds of Japanese lessons and thousands of exercises.

Start learning Japanese

Start learning Japanese now

Because 水 is treated as the thing causing the sensation.

So the structure is roughly:

冷たい水が = cold water is the thing that does it
歯に = to the teeth
しみます = stings / is painful

Japanese often builds this kind of sentence around what causes the effect, so が marks 冷たい水 as the grammatical subject.

In English, we might focus more on my teeth are sensitive to cold water, but Japanese often says it more like cold water stings my teeth.

Why is 歯 followed by に?

Here, に shows the target or point affected by the action/sensation.

So:

歯にしみます = it stings in the teeth / it affects the teeth sharply

You can think of に here as marking where the sensation hits.

This use is common with しみる:

目にしみる = it stings the eyes
歯にしみる = it stings the teeth

So に is not exactly in or to in a simple one-word way, but it marks the place/person affected.

Why isn’t it 歯がしみます instead?

歯がしみます is also possible, but it means something slightly different in focus.

冷たい水が歯にしみます
= Cold water stings my teeth.
Focus: the cold water is causing the effect.
歯がしみます
= My teeth are sensitive / my teeth sting.
Focus: the teeth are what hurt.

So your sentence highlights the trigger, not just the condition of the teeth.

Why is there no word for my before 歯?

Japanese often leaves out possession when it is obvious from context.

So 歯 here naturally means my teeth, even though 私の is not stated.

Saying 私の歯にしみます is grammatically possible, but it usually sounds unnecessary unless you are emphasizing that it is your teeth, not someone else’s.

This is very common with body parts in Japanese:

頭が痛い = My head hurts
手を洗う = Wash my hands
歯にしみる = It stings my teeth

Why is 歯 singular in Japanese when English often says teeth?

Japanese nouns usually do not change form for singular vs. plural.

So 歯 can mean:

tooth
teeth

The exact meaning depends on context.

In this sentence, English naturally says teeth, but Japanese just uses 歯 without needing a plural form.

Why does 冷たい come before 水?

Because Japanese adjectives usually come before the noun they describe.

So:

冷たい水 = cold water

This is just like:

大きい犬 = big dog
新しい車 = new car

Also, 冷たい is specifically used for things that are physically cold to the touch, like water or ice.

Could I use 寒い水 instead of 冷たい水?

Normally, no.

Japanese distinguishes between:

冷たい = cold things you touch or feel physically, like water, drinks, metal
寒い = cold weather / cold air / feeling cold because of temperature

So:

冷たい水 = correct
寒い水 = unnatural in normal Japanese

Use 冷たい for water.

What is the plain-form version of しみます?

The plain/dictionary form is しみる.

So the sentence in plain style would be:

冷たい水が歯にしみる。

Compare:

しみます = polite
しみる = plain

Both mean the same basic thing. The difference is politeness and style.

Is this sentence natural Japanese?

Yes, it is natural and very understandable.

It sounds like something you might say when talking about tooth sensitivity.

Depending on context, native speakers might also say:

冷たいものが歯にしみます。 = Cold things sting my teeth.
歯がしみます。 = My teeth are sensitive / sting.
冷たい水を飲むと歯にしみます。 = When I drink cold water, it stings my teeth.

Your original sentence is correct and natural.

Why is the sentence not using は as the topic particle?

It could use は, but that would change the nuance.

Your sentence:

冷たい水が歯にしみます。

This presents cold water as the thing causing the sensation.

If you said:

冷たい水は歯にしみます。

that would sound more like:

As for cold water, it stings my teeth
or it might contrast cold water with something else

For example, it can imply something like:

Hot tea is fine, but cold water stings my teeth

So が is the more neutral choice here.

Is しみる only used for teeth?

No. しみる has several related uses, all connected to something soaking in, penetrating, or affecting something deeply.

Common examples:

目にしみる = sting the eyes
歯にしみる = sting the teeth
身にしみる = feel deeply / sink in emotionally or physically
雨が服にしみる = rain soaks into clothes

So in your sentence, the idea is that the coldness penetrates the teeth and causes a sharp feeling.

Could the sentence be written without spaces?

Yes. Normal Japanese is usually written without spaces:

冷たい水が歯にしみます。

The spaced version is often used for learners to make the parts easier to see:

冷たい　水　が　歯　に　しみます。

Both represent the same sentence.

Your questions are stored by us to improve Elon.io