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杪冬 (びょうとう) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

杪びょう冬とう

Meanings

1

noun

end of winter

archaic

Archaic literary term for the end of winter. Not used in modern everyday Japanese; replaced by expressions like 冬の終わり or 晩冬.

古ふるい和わ歌かに「杪冬」という言こと葉ばが使つかわれている。
The word 杪冬 is used in old waka poetry.

Kanji

杪twig, treetop
冬winter

Similar words

晩ばん冬とう
晩冬 is a more common literary term for late winter, while 杪冬 is archaic and rare.
冬ふゆの終おわり
冬の終わり is the standard modern expression for 'end of winter', used in everyday speech.

Etymology

Compound of 杪 (びょう, 'tip, end') and 冬 (とう, 'winter'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain; it appears in classical Japanese texts as a poetic term.