There’s nothing like sitting down with a ほっこり美味しいスープ (hokkori oishii sūpu, steamy, tasty soup) on a cold winter’s day. And with the help of the incredible variety of ways to express yourself in Japanese, you can easily share those warm and cozy feelings with others.

Just like in English, there is a difference between being warm and being hot. But unlike English, there are two basic ways to write each: 暑い (atsui, hot) and 暖かい (atatakai, warm) usually refer to temperature that you can feel with your whole body, such as the air’s temperature, and 熱い (atsui, hot) and 温かい (atatakai, warm) are used to refer to the temperature of a physical thing, like soup or a hot plate.

You may have noticed that though the two pairs of words have different kanji, they have the same pronunciation. So while they can be confusing to write down, at least you can hide that confusion when speaking.

You can also put more emotion or emphasis into the words when speaking by shortening them, exclaiming あつっ！(attsu, so hot!) when you’re surprised by a burning hot plate, or あったかい〜 (attakaiii, so warm) when you sink into a bath.

Realistically, you’re most likely to talk about warm and hot things out loud anyway, and that’s where onomatopoeia comes in. The first word I associate with warm and cozy feelings in Japanese is ほかほか (hoka-hoka), which is often used to describe food: 出来立てほかほかの焼き芋は最高！ (Dekitate hoka-hoka no yaki’imo wa saikō!, Freshly made, steaming hot baked sweet potatoes are the best!)

A lot of other wintry foods pair well with ほかほか, too. Some of those warming dishes might have you saying, “そのほかほかのまんじゅうは美味しそう” (Sono hoka-hoka no manjū wa oishisō, That steaming hot bun looks tasty) or “ほかほかの鍋料理を食べると体が温まる” (Hoka-hoka no nabe ryōri o taberu to karada ga atatamaru, When I eat piping hotpot my body feels nice and warm).

Like our first onomatopoeic word, ほやほや (hoya-hoya) is also used to refer to steamy hot food, but tends to have the nuance of being very freshly made. But if you really want to emphasize that something is piping hot, like おでん (oden, soy simmered fish and vegetables), you might use あつあつ (atsu-atsu): 寒い時にはあつあつのおでんを食べたいです (Samui toki niwa atsu-atsu no oden o tabetai desu, When it is cold I want to eat piping hot oden).

As is often the case with Japanese onomatopoeia, there is also the very similar sounding ぽかぽか (poka-poka), which is not used for food. Instead, it is used to describe feeling warm, such as on a warm sunny day or while sitting under a こたつ (kotatsu, table heated from below): こたつに入ると足がぽかぽかと温まります (Kotatsu ni hairu to ashi ga poka-poka to atatamarimasu, When you sit in a kotatsu, your legs feel warm and toasty).

Most winter warmers like fluffy blankets and toasty こたつ also tend to bring with them a cozy and comfy feeling, which can be expressed with words like ぬくぬく(nuku-nuku, snuggly), which has roots in the word ぬくもり (nukumori, warmth). You could also use 心地よい (kokochi yoi, comfortable) on those winter days when the bed is too warm to leave: ベッドはとても暖かく心地よくて出たくない (Beddo wa totemo atatakaku kokochi yokute detakunai, The bed is so warm and comfy that I don’t want to get out).

The world of warm vocabulary is not restricted to physical temperature, either, as it can also be used to describe people and social situations. For example, you can use 温かい to describe kindness, such as with 温かい言葉 (atatakai kotoba, kind words), 温かい笑顔 (atatakai egao, a kind smile) or 温かい心 (atatakai kokoro, a kind heart). You can even use it in a more general sense to talk about someone’s warmth or kindness: 手書きの年賀状は人の温かみを感じます (Tegaki no nengajō wa hito no atatakami o kanjimasu, You can really feel a person’s kindness through a handwritten New Year’s card).

The opposite of this warm and inviting demeanor is not 寒い (samui, cold temperature), however, it is 冷たい (tsumetai, cold to the touch). 冷たい can be used in a similar way to 温かい to describe a person’s demeanor, such as in 冷たい人 (tsumetai hito, a cold person), 冷たい目で見る (tsumetai me de miru, give an icy look) and 冷たい言葉 (tsumetai kotoba, unkind words).

In this chilly season, though, why not reserve the cold words for describing the weather, and instead opt for warm smiles and cozy blankets. 寒さが続く季節は、心も体も温めましょう (Samusa ga tsuzuku kisetsu wa, kokoro mo karada mo atatamemashō, In this continually cold season, let’s warm up both mind and body).