this summer; next summer; last summer
Temporal noun/adverb meaning 'this summer' in most contexts. Can also refer to 'next summer' or 'last summer' depending on tense and context, similar to other relative time expressions like 来年 or 去年. The intended meaning is usually clear from the sentence.
今夏は特に暑いですね。
This summer is especially hot, isn't it?
This new smartphone is scheduled to be released this summer.
今夏、海外旅行に行く予定です。
I plan to travel abroad this summer.
今夏の売り上げは昨年を上回った。
Sales this summer exceeded last year's.
An international conference will be held in Tokyo this summer.
They plan to finish the construction work by the end of this summer.
今夏 can be ambiguous about which summer is meant, whereas 昨夏 clearly and only means 'last summer'.
Compound of 今 (kon, 'this') and 夏 (ka, 'summer'). The reading こんか follows standard on'yomi patterns for this combination.