春夏秋冬 (shunkashūtō or haru-natsu-aki-fuyu) refers to the different seasons of “spring, summer, fall, winter.”

A season is a period of the year that is distinguished by a special climate condition. Each season has it own specific patterns of light, weather & temperature that occur repeated annually.

The four seasons — spring, summer, autumn, and winter — follow one another regularly.

Knowing which type of season Japan is currently in will guide you in your journey in Japan. So, since you already know how to say these 4 seasons in English, how would you say it in Japanese?

Each season is special in its own way!

Winter

ふゆ (fuyu) – 冬

Winter generally lasts from December to February with temperatures ranging from -1 to 7 °C (varies in different parts of Japan). Winter is the time of the year where you get to see pools of snow, 雪 (Yuki) all over Japan especially suburbs.

Spring

はる (haru) – 春

Spring generally lasts from late March to May with temperatures ranging from 4 to 18 °C. In spring, you will have the opportunity to see the blossoms of the さくら (sa ku ra)’ which is one of the many well known must things to see in Japan during Spring!

Summer

なつ (natsu) – 夏

Summer in Japan falls between June to mid-September with temperatures falling within a range of 21 to 32 °C. Summers are typically hot and humid. In Japan, Summer is also the time for Summer Festivals, also pronounced as ‘なつまつり (na tsu ma tsu ri)’ in Japanese.

Check out how to stay cool and beat the heat during summer in Japan!

Autumn

あき (aki) – 秋

Autumn in Japan falls within the months of mid-November to early December, and this is the season where you get to see the trees turn vivid hues of red, orange, and yellow. During Autumn, you get the opportunity to see ‘こうよう (ko u yo u)’ which means ‘autumn color of leaves’.