Lovely senior life

Surprisingly little-known winter season words! A collection of everyday, easy-to-use vocabulary ideas

10 years as a kindergarten teacher / elementary school teacher / junior and senior high school teacher / childminderkepiko
Graduated from Kunitachi College of Music, Faculty of Music (now: Department of Music Culture and Education, Early Childhood Music Education major). In elementary school, my homeroom teacher was Jun Kusaba, a game researcher. After graduating from university, I worked as a kindergarten teacher for 10 years and as an after-school childcare instructor for 7 years, then took a position as a music teacher at an international school in Singapore. In addition to music education, I engaged in activities that introduced Japanese culture, traditional games, and recreational activities, working with many children. Later, through freelance writing, planning, and editing at Shogakukan, I met many delightful adults and experienced the joy of communicating and sharing. Drawing on the perspective cultivated in the field of education and my experience as an editor, I provide practical information with an emphasis on both input and output, mainly in areas related to music and children. My hobbies include instruments, singing, handicrafts, toys, drawing, traditional games, the outdoors, and books. My special skill is spinning-top tricks.

Have you ever found yourself wondering, when writing a haiku or a letter, “Was this word a winter kigo?” Compared to spring or autumn, winter kigo are surprisingly close to everyday life, and there are many words that feel familiar yet are not well known.

In this article, we’ve gathered a wide range of common winter kigo that are also used in daily conversation.

Whether as hints for seasonal letters and verse composition, or simply to savor winter’s unique scenes through words, please feel free to take a look!

Surprisingly Little-Known Winter Season Words! A Collection of Everyday, Accessible Word Ideas (1–10)

icicleNEW!

Haiku “Icicles”: Winter season word [Short Version]

icicleNEW!

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.

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white breathNEW!

[Haiku Stroll • No. 101] White breath (winter) — a season word that lets you feel life in each: children, middle-aged in their prime, those who have reached old age, animals and humans alike!!

white breathNEW!

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.

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Beginning of WinterNEW!

Haiku and the seasonal word “Rittō” [winter seasonal word]

Beginning of WinterNEW!

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?

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snowNEW!

Haiku and the seasonal word “snow” [Winter seasonal word]

snowNEW!

When you think of winter, what comes to mind? “Snow” is likely the most common answer—many children look forward each year to the snowfall that comes with winter.

Even adults can’t help but feel a thrill; snow is full of a special charm, and in fact it’s one of the seasonal words for winter in haiku.

Haiku themed around snow can capture many winter scenes: the biting cold of night with falling snow, snow glittering in the morning sun, heavy drifts piled as high as one’s shoulders, children joyfully frolicking in the snow, and the contrast between the frigid, snow-covered outdoors and the warmth indoors.

Because snow is so familiar in people’s daily lives, it’s a highly usable and recommended seasonal word for winter.

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frostNEW!

Today’s Haiku <Broadcast December, Reiwa 5 (2023)> Set Topic: “Frost” (First Half)

frostNEW!

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.

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