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 ideas for familiar terms you can use in everyday life (11–20)
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.
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.
glovesNEW!
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.
New Year’s EveNEW!
“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.
In conclusion
Winter kigo—seasonal words—are filled with expressions that reflect familiar daily life and the changing face of nature.
Even the everyday moments we pass without much thought may reveal new aspects when seen through the lens of kigo.
In a haiku, a letter, a diary entry, or any casual scene, try weaving in winter kigo and take your time savoring the unique atmosphere of the cold season.