also: なかあき
15th day of the 8th lunar month; mid-autumn festival
Refers to the traditional mid-autumn day, often associated with moon-viewing (月見). Usually written 中秋.
中秋の名月を眺めるのが楽しみです。
I'm looking forward to viewing the harvest moon on the 15th night of the 8th lunar month.
今年の中秋は九月の終わりごろです。
This year's mid-autumn day falls around the end of September.
eighth month of the lunar calendar
Only with reading なかあき
Obsolete term for the eighth lunar month. Only used in historical or classical contexts. Read なかあき.
See also: 葉月
古い暦では、仲秋は葉月とも呼ばれた。
In the old calendar, the eighth month (nakāki) was also called Hazuki.
葉月 is the traditional Japanese name for the eighth lunar month, synonymous with the obsolete 仲秋 (なかあき).
harvest moon; mid-autumn moon
Standard spelling for the mid-autumn festival and the 15th day of the 8th lunar month. High news frequency.
Alternate kanji spelling for the mid-autumn sense. Less common than 中秋 but still encountered.
Obsolete reading for the eighth lunar month. Only used in historical contexts.
Sino-Japanese compound. 中 means 'middle', 秋 means 'autumn'. The spelling 仲秋 uses 仲 ('relationship, middle') as a variant. The reading なかあき is the native Japanese reading of 仲秋.