夏げ至し

げ

し

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

1

summer solstice

Refers to the yearly solar term around June 21 in the Northern Hemisphere, when daytime is longest; commonly contrasted with 冬至.

Usage patterns

〈夏げ至し〉を迎むかえるto reach/arrive at the summer solstice
来らい週しゅう、夏げ至しを迎むかえる。
We'll reach the summer solstice next week.

Kanji

夏summer
至climax, arrive, proceed

Opposites

冬とう至じN1
夏至 is the summer solstice with the longest day of the year, while 冬至 is the winter solstice with the shortest day.

Don't confuse with

春しゅん分ぶんN1
夏至 marks the longest day of the year, whereas 春分 is the spring equinox when day and night are roughly equal in length.
秋しゅう分ぶんN1
夏至 is the solstice with the longest daylight, while 秋分 is the autumn equinox when day and night are about equal.

Word family

夏げ至し点てん
summer solstitial point
夏げ至し祭まつり
midsummer festival; summer solstice celebration; St. John's Day

Written forms

夏げ至しUsage99%
Standard kanji spelling for the astronomical calendar term; the kana reading is げし.
げしUsage1%

Etymology

A Sino-Japanese compound written with 夏, 'summer,' and 至, 'arrival; reaching a point.' The spelling conventionally matches the idea of the sun reaching the summer solstice.