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 enjoy learning winter seasonal words! A collection of easy-to-use word ideas for elementary school students (11–20)
cold windNEW!
冬の季語「寒風」は「かんぷう」と読み、文字通り冬の冷たい風を指します。
By adding “cold” (寒) to “wind,” it evokes a clearer image of a chilly winter scene than simply saying “wind.” In the verse presented here—“Kanpū ya / fukisusabi nochi / kumo usure” (“Cold winter wind—after the raging blow, the clouds grow thin”)—fukisusabu describes the wind blowing very strongly and violently.
One can picture the scene in which, after the frigid wind has blown fiercely, the clouds that had covered the sky thin out and patches of blue appear.
Even in a cold season, looking up at a clear sky can instantly brighten one’s mood; it’s interesting to use this as a seasonal word when composing about shifts in season and emotion.
oden (Japanese simmered hot pot dish)NEW!
On a cold evening, a steaming pot of oden.
Just imagining daikon radish, eggs, chikuwa, konnyaku, and more simmering away, with the aroma of dashi filling the room, makes your mouth water, doesn’t it? When you gather around the pot with family or friends, reaching out to pick your favorite ingredients, smiles come naturally.
Used as a seasonal word in writing, phrases like “oden simmering in the winter kitchen” or “an oden pot wrapped in steam” can evoke the warmth of winter and the cozy feel of everyday life.
Oden is a winter-only treat that warms not just the body but the heart when shared with family and friends on cold days.
mandarin orangeNEW!
Mikan, a fruit perfect for the winter season and often used as a winter seasonal word.
Picking up a mikan sitting cutely on the kotatsu and peeling it, a sweet aroma wafts out.
Eating mikan with family or friends while snug inside a toasty kotatsu can warm your heart even in the cold of winter.
Children sometimes get their fingers slightly yellow as they devour them, don’t they? Used as a seasonal word in writing, it can express the cozy warmth and unhurried moments of winter.
Mikan is a comforting winter flavor that lets you feel small happiness even amid the season’s chill.
ChristmasNEW!
Haiku have long been beloved by many.
Did you know that “Christmas” is one of haiku’s seasonal words? On December 25, the Feast of the Nativity of Christ, people in Japan also decorate Christmas trees, and city streets shine with illuminations.
It’s one of those traditional events that many children eagerly await for Santa’s presents.
In the world of haiku, Christmas is used as a winter seasonal word.
While many seasonal words are distinctly old-fashioned and uniquely Japanese, Christmas—though it may seem unexpected—is a familiar event.
Why not try composing a winter haiku using Christmas?
New Year’s EveNEW!
New Year’s Eve, also called “toshikoshi,” is a time when families often spend more time together.
Traditionally, people eat toshikoshi soba to pray for longevity and good health, and they purify the year’s worldly desires with the ringing of temple bells on New Year’s Eve.
It’s also a day to clean the house and prepare for the New Year so you can welcome it feeling refreshed.
As a winter seasonal word (kigo), expressions like “New Year’s Eve night” or “clear New Year’s Eve” can add a sense of the season and year-end atmosphere to your writing.
It’s a day when both children and adults can enjoyably feel the closing of the year.