Let's enjoy learning winter seasonal words! A collection of easy-to-use word ideas for elementary school students
Have you ever been told in a haiku or poetry class to “try using a winter season word,” and then felt unsure what to write? From familiar everyday things to natural phenomena, winter season words are full of expressions hidden in daily life.
In this article, we’ll introduce winter season words in a way that’s easy for elementary school students to understand.
We also explain their meanings and images, so it will surely help with homework or independent research.
Find your favorite season word and try creating your very own haiku!
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Let’s Have Fun Learning Winter Seasonal Words! A Collection of Easy-to-Use Word Ideas for Elementary School Students (21–30)
cold wintry wind
The wintry wind known as kogarashi appears in the verses of many famous haiku poets.
Kogarashi is a cold, strong north wind that blows from late autumn into early winter.
It is said to have been named “kogarashi” because it scatters the leaves from the trees, making them look withered.
It can also be written as “凩” or “木枯.”
Although it was originally used as a season word for early autumn, its sound led to its establishment as a winter season word.
The haiku introduced here, “Kogarashi no hate wa arikeri umi no oto” (“At the end of the wintry wind, there it is—the sound of the sea”), is by the Edo-period haiku poet Ikenishi Gonsui, and depicts the kogarashi, having reached the unobstructed sea, turning into the roar of the surf and fading away.
Consider using it when writing about the cold of winter, the roughness of the sea, or the lives of people shaped by that wind.
icicle
Icicles are a winter tradition.
In kanji, they are written as “氷柱.” For those living in snowy or cold regions, icicles may be a familiar winter sight.
The word tsurara is said to derive from tsuranari (“a series/continuity”), evolving from tsuratsura, which describes things lined up smoothly.
In haiku, it is cherished as a winter season word.
“Ice pillars fall—after the sound, morning sun arrives” is a verse by the Japanese haiku poet Teijiro Shinoda.
The phrase “hyōchū otsu” (icicles fall) expresses the end of winter and the shifting of nature, letting us sense the approach of spring.
white breath
There are times in the cold season when your breath looks white, aren’t there? The scene of warming your chilled fingertips by breathing a warm “haa” into them in the biting cold is quintessentially wintry.
Shiroiki, literally “white breath,” refers to the way the water vapor in exhaled breath is cooled by low temperatures and cold air, making it appear white.
In the world of haiku, it is used as a winter kigo (season word) and is also rendered as “iki shiroshi” (“the breath is white”).
White breath captures both the wintry scene and the sensation of cold, and it’s a recommended, easy-to-use season word for haiku.
Beginning of Winter
The character 立 (ritsu) carries the meanings “to create anew” and “to begin,” and Rittō is a term that marks the start of winter.
Rittō is one of the 24 solar terms and falls around November 7 in the modern calendar.
Even though the colors of autumn still linger, the sunlight weakens, dusk comes earlier, and hands and feet feel chilly in the mornings and evenings.
This term is read “Rittō,” and on the calendar it signifies the beginning of winter from that day.
In the world of haiku, it is also used as a winter season word.
Why not use this kigo when composing verses about the transition from autumn to winter?
New Year’s Eve
“Jo” means “to remove,” and it’s a time to gently let go of the year’s unpleasant moments and the haze in your heart as you welcome the new year.
As a seasonal word, there are expressions like “Joya no kane” (New Year’s Eve bell), “Joya no yuki” (New Year’s Eve snow), and “Joya no tsuki” (New Year’s Eve moon).
For example, on a New Year’s Eve when snow is falling softly, many people may have felt their year’s fatigue gently melt away as they listened to the bell while gazing out the window at the white landscape.
When used in writing, it can softly convey the stillness of a winter night and the gentle excitement of greeting a new year.
It is a special, warm time when both children and adults, with a little flutter in their hearts, welcome the year to come.
frost
Frost refers to ice crystals formed from water vapor in chilled air during the night that settle on grass, the ground, cars, and so on.
It is said to appear on clear, windy winter mornings, and in the world of haiku it is used as a seasonal word for winter.
The sight of frost shining gives the impression that snow has fallen all over.
The haiku introduced here—“On a frosty morning, the Shimanto River sparkles”—captures the refreshing clarity of winter through the frost, born on a cold night and set aglow by the morning sun, and the beautiful surface of the Shimanto River.
It is a perfect seasonal word for evoking the crisp chill and beautiful scenery of a winter morning.
In conclusion
Among the seasonal words for winter, there are plenty that, once you know their meanings, feel familiar and approachable even to elementary school children. The joy of expressing the changing seasons in your own words is one of the great appeals of haiku. If you find a seasonal word here that catches your interest, be sure to set it to the rhythm of 5-7-5 and compose a haiku that’s uniquely your own!