熱帯
ねったい · nettai · JLPT N3 · noun
torrid zone
🌴 熱帯 = heat + belt: the hot belt that wraps around the equator
熱 (netsu) means heat, as in 熱 for a fever; 帯 (tai) means belt or zone, as in 帯 obi, the kimono sash. Put them together and you get the heat zone, the tropics. 温帯 (ontai) is the temperate zone and 寒帯 (kantai) is the frigid zone.