1.
late summer; end of summer
The latter part of summer, roughly from mid-August into early September. A somewhat literary term that evokes the waning of summer's heat and the approaching autumn.
晩夏の日差しはまだ強い。
The late summer sun is still strong.
晩夏になると、蝉の声も少しずつ変わってくる。
As late summer arrives, the sound of the cicadas gradually changes.
晩夏の夕暮れには、どこか寂しさを感じる。
There's a certain loneliness in the late summer twilight.
A compound of 晩 (late/evening) and 夏 (summer). The 晩 prefix is used with other seasons as well to indicate the latter part of that season. Has a literary, slightly melancholic quality, often associated with the bittersweet feeling of summer ending.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 晩夏の候: the late summer season (used in formal letters)
- 晩夏の空: late summer sky
- 晩夏の光: late summer light
SEASONAL TERMS:
The 晩〜 pattern applies to all seasons:
- 晩春: late spring
- 晩夏: late summer
- 晩秋: late autumn
- 晩冬: late winter
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 盛夏: midsummer, height of summer — the hottest part of summer, roughly July to mid-August
- 初夏: early summer — the beginning of summer, around May to June
- 残暑: lingering summer heat — specifically the heat that continues after the traditional end of summer (立秋)