Which sentence sounds odd?
a. きのうは さむかったけど、きょうは あたたかくて きもちが いい。
b. きょうは あたたかくて いやな てんきだ。
c. エミリーさんは あたたかくて おいしい スープを つくって くれた。
d. わたしの ちちは あたたかい ひとだ。
Many English speakers remember あたたかい as “warm” and think that あたたかい describes a temperature somewhere between さむい/つめたい and あつい. However the truth is that あたたかい is the direct opposite of さむい/つめたい (cold). which has negative nuance of discomfort. あたたかい describes a positive/pleasant condition of being “not (too) cold.” So あたたかい cannot be used when you are feeling uncomfortable or when warmth is not appreciated like during summer. Thus the answer is b.
When あたたかい is the opposite of さむい (ambient temperature is cold), it’s written as 暖かい and when it’s the opposite of つめたい (something particular, such as water, wind, etc is cold), it’s written as 温かい. あたたかい can also describe a person as shown in the choice d.
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