first fruits; first harvest
Refers to the first fruits or produce of the season, often with a celebratory or auspicious nuance.
We offered this year's first fruits on the household Shinto altar.
The first cucumbers of the season from the field are especially delicious.
Standard kanji spelling for 'first fruits'.
Alternate spelling using kana for the second part; less common but still encountered.
Compound of 初 (hatsu, 'first') and 生り (nari, 'bearing fruit', from 生る naru). The exact historical derivation is straightforward.