雪

雪 (xuě) is the noun 'snow' — frozen precipitation. To talk about snow falling, Chinese uses the verb 下 (xià, 'to fall'): 下雪了 ('it's snowing' / 'it has started snowing'). This 下 + weather pattern also makes 下雨 ('to rain'). The character has 雨 (rain) on top, marking it as a weather word. Common expressions: 雪花 (xuěhuā, 'snowflake'), 雪人 (xuě rén, 'snowman'), 大雪 (dà xuě, 'heavy snow'), 小雪 (xiǎo xuě, 'light snow' — also one of the 24 solar terms). Northern Chinese cities like Harbin (哈尔滨) celebrate winter with the 冰雪节 (Ice and Snow Festival). Note that 雪 also forms the figurative 雪上加霜 ('snow on top of frost' = adding insult to injury) and 雪中送炭 ('sending charcoal in the snow' = timely help).

Memory hook: 雨 (rain) on top — snow is rain that froze on the way down.