KANJI: KA GA GE nastu (summer)

ASCII Art Representation:

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Character Etymology:

Originally a written as a person dancing holding a mask. How exactly this character came to mean summer is not clear. Some scholars feel that this character is acting as a phonetic substitute, but others argue that the character's complexity suggests otherwise. Presumably summer was associated with a particular dance or festival and it was from this association that this character came into use.

A Listing of All On-Yomi and Kun-Yomi Readings:

on-yomi: KA GA GE
kun-yomi: natsu

English Definitions:

1. KA, GA, GE, nastu: summer.

Character Index Numbers:

New Nelson: 1120
Henshall: 82

Unicode Encoded Version:

夏

Unicode Encoded Compound Examples:

初夏 (shoka):
夏祭 (natsumatsuri): summer festival.
夏日 (natsubi): summer day.
夏木立 (natsukodachi): a grove of in the summer.
夏蜜柑 (natsu mikan): bitter summer orange, Chinese citron.

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