初秋(しょしゅう)

しょしゅう
noun
early autumn; beginning of fall
time-seasonnature
1. early autumn; beginning of fall
The first part of autumn, roughly corresponding to September in Japan. Often still warm, with the first hints of cooler weather.
初秋(しょしゅう)の風(かぜ)が心地(ここち)よい。
The early autumn breeze is pleasant.
Although it's early fall, the hot days continue.
初秋(しょしゅう)のころ、空(そら)の色(いろ)が少(すこ)しずつ変(か)わり始(はじ)める。
Around early autumn, the color of the sky begins to change little by little.

A literary and seasonal word used in writing, haiku, and weather reports. Part of a series of seasonal divisions: 初秋(しょしゅう) (early), 仲秋(ちゅうしゅう) (mid), 晩秋(ばんしゅう) (late autumn). The same pattern applies to other seasons.

Common collocations

  • 初秋(しょしゅう)の風(かぜ): early autumn breeze
  • 初秋(しょしゅう)の候(こう): the early autumn season (epistolary)
  • 初秋(しょしゅう)の空(そら): the early autumn sky

Related words

  • 仲秋(ちゅうしゅう): mid-autumn — the middle period, associated with the harvest moon
  • 晩秋(ばんしゅう): late autumn — the final stretch before winter
  • 初夏(しょか): early summer — the same pattern applied to summer
  • 立秋(りっしゅう): start of autumn — a specific date in the traditional calendar (around August 7)