Surprisingly little-known winter season words! A collection of everyday, easy-to-use vocabulary ideas
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!
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Surprisingly Little-Known Winter Season Words! A Collection of Everyday, Accessible Word Ideas (1–10)
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?
snow
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.
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.
Surprisingly little-known winter season words! A collection of ideas for familiar terms you can use in everyday life (11–20)
oden (Japanese simmered hot pot dish)
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 orange
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.
New Year’s Eve
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.
gloves
Gloves are items that warm your hands in the cold of winter and are often used as a seasonal word for winter.
On mornings when snow flurries fall or when you walk along roads turned white with frost, slipping on fluffy gloves makes your hands toasty and even warms your heart with a sense of comfort.
Children sometimes enjoy collecting various colorful gloves, too.
Used as a seasonal word in writing, it can express both winter’s chill and a cozy warmth.
Gloves are like a small winter magic that, along with the season’s cold, also brings back memories of warm moments with family and friends.