[For Elementary School Students] Spring Kigo for Haiku Writing! A Collection of Fun, Easy-to-Memorize Ideas
Have you ever been told to “use seasonal words” in a spring haiku or writing class and then felt stuck about what to write? In fact, spring kigo (seasonal words) aren’t just flowers like cherry blossoms and plum blossoms—there are plenty that are familiar to elementary school students, such as the Doll Festival.
In this article, we’ve gathered a wide range of easy-to-understand spring kigo for children.
We also explain their meanings and how to use them, so you can immediately put them to use when making haiku or doing Japanese language homework.
Be sure to find your favorite seasonal words!
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[For Elementary School Students] Spring Kigo You Can Use for Haiku! A Collection of Fun, Memorable Ideas (1–10)
Japanese kerriaNEW!
This is a plant that blooms with vivid yellow flowers in spring and is often used as a “season word for spring.” Its sun-like bright color makes it perfect for expressing feelings like “energy,” “warmth,” and “joy”! Imagining the way it sways in the wind or the sight of it blooming in abundance along rivers and roadsides will help expand your haiku imagery.
For example, Yosa Buson’s haiku “Yamabuki ya Ide no yamabuki saki ni keri” conveys the beauty of spring with yamabuki (Japanese kerria) blooming all over.
Try combining “yamabuki + color,” “yamabuki + wind,” and “yamabuki + feelings” to have fun creating your own spring haiku!
plumNEW!
Because plum blossoms begin blooming earlier than other flowers in the earliest spring, they are also called “harutsugegusa,” the harbinger of spring.
In the world of haiku, ume (plum blossoms) are known as a spring season word, but note that “hayau-me” (early plum) and “kanbai” (cold-weather plum) are late-winter, winter season words, so care is needed not to mix them up.
And when one simply writes “ume,” it is said to refer specifically to the plum blossom.
The plum, a symbol of spring in Japan, is one of the flowers closest to our hearts.
Using ume, why not compose a verse that lets you feel the arrival of spring? How about capturing a beautiful scene in a haiku—your impressions from visiting a famous plum-viewing spot, the plum tree blooming in your garden, or a richly evocative image combining it with a bush warbler?
Grass SproutNEW!
“Sprouts of grass” refers to the young shoots of various plants that peek out of the ground in the warm spring, and it is used as a seasonal word for spring in haiku.
It is not limited to named plants like horsetails, Persian speedwell, or dandelions, but is a spring kigo that encompasses all sprouts, including weeds.
Many people may feel like going for a walk when spring arrives.
In the mild weather, seeing small green new leaves can make you feel the arrival of spring and the breath of the earth.
Why not turn the small moments of spring you notice in everyday life into a haiku? It will be a lovely time to notice new discoveries and encounters.
wisteriaNEW!
Wisteria flowers reach their peak from mid-April to early May.
Some elementary schools may even have wisteria trellises installed.
Seasonally, wisteria is treated as a late-spring kigo in haiku, symbolizing the end of spring.
Thanks to the hugely popular anime Demon Slayer among elementary schoolers, where wisteria plays an important role, many children may already know about it.
It sounds fun to write essays or haiku that weave together familiar themes like these with wisteria.
Works that draw on the elegance conveyed by the clusters of small, pale purple blossoms are also lovely.
Because wisteria has a refined feel, including it can give essays or haiku a touch of taste and sophistication.
excursionNEW!
For children, nothing is more delightful than the spring field trip.
I can vividly recall running hand in hand with friends, a backpack stuffed with a boxed lunch on my back.
Just hearing the word “ensoku” (field trip) somehow makes you feel happy—did you know it’s actually a seasonal word for spring? It perfectly evokes the image of cheerful children on a warm spring day.
When retracing nostalgic memories, when preparing lunches for children excited about their trip, or when you spot a line of toddlers chattering excitedly at the station… let’s try composing a cheerful haiku with the theme of a field trip.