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.
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.