this summer; next summer; last summer
Temporal noun/adverb meaning 'this summer' in most contexts. Can also refer to 'next summer' or 'last summer' depending on tense and context, similar to other relative time expressions like 来年 or 去年. The intended meaning is usually clear from the sentence.
This summer is especially hot, isn't it?
I plan to travel abroad this summer.
Sales this summer exceeded last year's.
This new smartphone is scheduled to be released this summer.
They plan to finish the construction work by the end of this summer.
今夏 can be ambiguous about which summer is meant, whereas 昨夏 clearly and only means 'last summer'.
Compound of 今 (kon, 'this') and 夏 (ka, 'summer'). The reading こんか follows standard on'yomi patterns for this combination.
An international conference will be held in Tokyo this summer.