first autumn maple leaves to turn red
A seasonal word (kigo) used in haiku and traditional poetry to refer to the earliest maple leaves that change color in autumn. In everyday language, it may be used to describe the first signs of autumn foliage.
The first red maple leaves in the garden are beautiful.
I went to the mountains to see the first autumn maple leaves.
もみじ is the common word for maple tree or its leaves, often used for autumn foliage. 初紅葉 adds the nuance of 'first' and is more poetic.
Standard kanji spelling for this seasonal term.
Compound of 初 (hatsu, 'first') and 紅葉 (momiji, 'maple leaves turning red'). The reading はつもみじ is standard; the longer readings はつもみじば and はつもみちば are obsolete.