【季節（きせつ）】”KISETSU”
Meaning:
season
Usage:
「日本には4つの季節がある。」
（にほんにはよっつのきせつがある。）
(Nihon niwa yottsu no kisetsu ga aru.)
”There are four seasons in Japan.”
- In Japan, the four seasons are called 「四季 (しき / shiki)」. The approximate timing for each season is as follows. (The timing may vary depending on the climate of the year.)
- 「春 (はる / haru / “spring”)」: From March to May
(There is a rainy season 「梅雨 [つゆ / tsuyu]」from June to July.) - 「夏 (なつ / natsu / “summer”)」 : From July to September
- 「秋 (あき / aki / “fall”)」: From October to November
- 「冬 (ふゆ / fuyu / “winter”)」: From December to (next) February
- 「春 (はる / haru / “spring”)」: From March to May
Glossary:
- 日本（にほん）: Japan
- 季節（きせつ）: season
- ある: there is (/are)
【春（はる）】”HARU”
Meaning:
spring
Usage:
「春は出会いと別れの季節。」
（はるはであいとわかれのきせつ。）
(Haru wa deai to wakare no kisetsu.)
“Spring is a season of encounters and farewells.”
- The school year and fiscal year in Japan starts in April and ends in March of the following year. As a result, there is a common image that April is the time for enrollment and joining a company (the time for encounters), while March is the time for graduation and leaving a company (the time for farewells). As a result, many songs about encounters and farewells are released every spring.
Glossary:
- 春（はる）: spring
- 出会い（であい）: encounter
- 別れ（わかれ）: farewell
- 季節（きせつ）: season
【夏（なつ）】”NATSU”
Meaning:
summer
Usage:
「夏休みに宿題を出すのやめてほしいなぁ。」
（なつやすみにしゅくだいをだすのやめてほしいなぁ。）
(Natsu-yasumi ni shukudai o dasu no yametehoshĪ nā.)
“I wish they would stop giving homework during summer vacation.”
- Summer vacation in Japanese schools is still in the middle of the semester, so there is a lot of homework to do. In addition to the workbooks for each subject, students are given homework assignments such as research (science experiments) or crafts and book reports.
- There is also a summer tradition called 「ラジオ体操 (らじおたいそう / rajio-taisō / “Radio Gymnastics”), although it is not being held now due to COVID-19. Every morning during the summer vacation, elementary school children gather in towns and villages and do exercises to the music on the radio that starts at 6:30.
Glossary:
- 夏休み（なつやすみ）: summer vacation
- 宿題（しゅくだい）: homework
- 出す（だす）: to take out, to submit, to publish
- 宿題を出す（しゅくだいをだす）: to give homework, to submit homework *This word is tricky. Make sure who the subject is.
- やめる: to stop, to quit
- ～してほしい: to want [somebody] to […]
【秋（あき）】”AKI”
Meaning:
autumn/fall
Usage:
「秋には美味しい食べ物がたくさんある。」
（あきにはおいしいたべものがたくさんある。）
(Aki niwa oishĪ tabemono ga takusan aru.)
“There are many delicious foods in autumn.”
- Autumn is a time when vegetables and fruits are rich in nutrients, and fish and animals are storing up fat for the winter, making it a delicious time to eat.
- The following are some of the most famous and delicious autumn foods in Japan.
- 栗 (くり / kuri) : Japanese chestnut
- さつまいも (satsumaimo) : sweet potato
- かぼちゃ (kabocha) : pumpkin
- きのこ (kinoko) : mushroom
- カツオ (かつお / katsuo) : bonito, skipjack tuna
- 鮭 (さけ or しゃけ / sake or shake) : salmon
Glossary:
- 秋（あき）: autumn, fall
- 美味しい（おいしい）: delicious, tasty
- 食べ物（たべもの）: food
- たくさん: many
- ある: there is (/ are)
【冬（ふゆ）】”FUYU”
Meaning:
winter
Usage:
「冬の間、東京でも1度くらいは雪が降る。」
（ふゆのあいだ、とうきょうでもいちどくらいはゆきがふる。）
(Fuyu no aida, tōkyō demo ichido kurai wa yuki ga furu.)
“During the winter, it snows at least once in Tokyo.”
- I’ve been living in Tokyo for nine years, and it snows once or twice during the winter. It rarely snows enough to paint the ground white. As a result, Tokyo and the surrounding areas are not very accustomed to snow. Public transportation, such as trains and buses, can be significantly affected or even canceled.
Glossary:
- 冬（ふゆ）: winter
- ～の間（のあいだ）: during […]
- 東京（とうきょう）: Tokyo
- 1度（いちど）: once, one time
- 1度くらいは～（いちどくらいは）: […] at least one time
- 雪（ゆき）: snow
- 雪が降る（ゆきがふる）: to snow
【梅雨（つゆ）】”TSUYU”
Meaning:
the rainy season (between June and July)
Usage:
「6月から7月は梅雨と呼ばれる雨期で、雨の日ばかりです。」
（ろくがつからしちがつはつゆとよばれるうきで、あめのひばかりです。）
(Roku-gatsu kara shichi-gatsu wa tsuyu to yobareru uki de, ame no hi bakari desu.)
“June and July are the rainy seasons, called ‘TSUYU’, and it rains all the time.”
- See the article below for how to say each month in Japanese.
【お知らせ（おしらせ）】”OSHIRASE” from Words Related to Signs in Town -DAILY NIHONGO- - The front that brings 「梅雨 (つゆ / tsuyu)」 moves northward from the south. Therefore, the earliest the 「梅雨 (つゆ / tsuyu)」 season arrives in Japan is in Okinawa, the southernmost island (it starts in May and ends in June). The front weakens before it reaches Hokkaido, the northernmost island in Japan, so it is said that there is no 「梅雨 (つゆ / tsuyu)」 season in Hokkaido. (However, there are times when other fronts affect Hokkaido, causing the weather to be as bad as the rainy season.)
Glossary:
- 梅雨（つゆ）: rainy season during June and July
- ～と呼ばれる（とよばれる）: to be called […]
- 雨期（うき）: rainy season (as in general)
- 雨（あめ）: rain
- 日（ひ）: day
- 雨の日（あめのひ）: rainy day(s)
- ～ばかり（/ ばっかり）: always […], […] constantly, nothing but […]
【～の時期（のじき）】”… NO JIKI”
Meaning:
time (/season) for …
Usage:
「桜の時期なので、公園は花見客で賑わっています。」
（さくらのじきなので、こうえんははなみきゃくでにぎわっています。）
(Sakura no jiki nanode, kōen wa hanami-kyaku de nigiwatteimasu.)
“It’s the season of cherry blossoms, so the parks are crowded with cherry blossom viewers.”
- Cherry blossoms are one of the most beloved flowers in Japan. In spring, the news reports daily on when the cherry blossoms will bloom and when they will be in full bloom. When they are in full bloom, many people visit cherry blossom viewing spots and have picnics under the trees. There are also many food stands, just like at a festival.
Glossary:
- 桜（さくら）: cherry blossoms
- ～の時期（のじき）: time (/season) for […]
- 公園（こうえん）: park
- 花見（はなみ）: cherry blossom viewing
- 客（きゃく）: guest, visitor, client, customer
- 花見客（はなみきゃく）: cherry blossom viewer
- 賑わう（にぎわう）: to be crowded with people
