expression, noun-modifying (irregular)
welcome (new year, new spring, etc.)
Archaic pillow word (makura kotoba) used in classical Japanese poetry, typically prefacing words like 年 (toshi, year) or 春 (haru, spring) to express a sense of newness, freshness, or welcome. Not used in modern everyday language.
With the new year dawning, people composed celebratory poems.
In classical waka poetry, the phrase 'aratama no haru' (new spring) is often seen.
Variant kanji spelling; also archaic and poetic.
The exact origin is uncertain. It is a traditional pillow word (makura kotoba) whose meaning is conventionally associated with 'new' or 'fresh', possibly from 新 (ara, new) + 玉 (tama, jewel/spirit), but the derivation is not firmly established.