Kigo

What are Kigo

Kigo (季語 - きご ) are words or phrases in Japanese poetry, especially haiku, that are associated with particular seasons. They provide a cultural and emotional context for the poem, evoking a sense of the changing seasons and the natural world. Kigo can be simple words such as "cherry blossoms", "autumn leaves" or more abstract concepts such as "loneliness" or "transience" which are associated with a particular season.

https://www.cs.mcgill.ca/~rwest/wikispeedia/wpcd/wp/k/Kigo.htm

Spring (春):

• cherry blossoms - 桜 (さくら)
• new green leaves - 新緑 (しんりょく)
• cuckoo - ホトトギス (ほととぎす)
• dandelion - タンポポ (たんぽぽ)
• warm wind - 暖かい風 (あたたかい - かぜ)
• frogs
• hanamatsuri
• Hinamatsuri

Summer (夏):

• cicada 蝉 - (せみ)
• firefly 蛍 - (ほたる)
• beach 浜辺 - (はまべ)
• lotus flower - 蓮 (れん)
• evening cool - 夕涼み (ゆうすず)
• cicada
• Rainy season
• water lily
• wisteria
• Iris

Autumn (秋):

• autumn leaves   紅葉 - こうよう
• moon-viewing   月見 - つきみ
• harvest moon   中秋の名月 - ちゅうしゅうのめいげつ
• persimmon   柿 - かき
• migrating geese   渡り鳥 - わたりどり
• typhoon   台風 - たいふう
• thunder   雷 - かみなり
• insects   虫 - むし
• crickets   蟋蟀 - こおろぎ
• milkey way (amanogawa, lit. "river of heaven"), because in the autumn it is most visible in Japan. It is associated with Tanabata.

Winter (冬):

• snow 雪 (yuki)
• new year - 正月 (shōgatsu)
• camellia - 椿 (tsubaki)
• plum blossoms - 梅 (ume)
• cold wind - 冷たい風 (tsumetai kaze)
• Calendar vendor