noun
near summer; end of spring
A poetic or literary noun referring to the time when summer is approaching, often used in haiku or seasonal descriptions.
夏近し、木々の緑が濃くなってきた。
Summer is near; the trees' green has deepened.
俳句で「夏近し」は初夏の季語として使われる。
In haiku, 'natsuchikashi' is used as a seasonal word for early summer.
初夏 is a common word for 'early summer', while 夏近し is a more literary, seasonal expression specifically for the approach of summer.
春の終わり is a plain phrase meaning 'end of spring', whereas 夏近し carries a poetic nuance of anticipating summer.
Compound of 夏 (natsu, 'summer') and the classical adjective 近し (chikashi, 'near'), literally 'summer is near'. The form follows classical Japanese grammar, giving it a literary feel.