The word "haru" meaning spring, the season

In the previous post, talking about the Japanese word haru meaning stretch or spread, I asked you to think of words and expressions involving that word. I wondered if some of you might have come up with the haru meaning the season of “spring” (春).

You might have thought I was joking. The season of spring can’t possibly have anything to do with stretching and sticking, right?

Actually, it can and it does. Think about it: spring is the season when nature comes alive and stretches up to the sky. It is the season when flower buds swell. Colorful green leaves spread out at your feet. Snow is swept away. The ice melts and water stretches across the pond. Flora unfolds from the ground. Birds puff out their chests in song. The forest is bursting with life. The blue sky stretches across the heavens. The upcoming year stretches out ahead.

And it’s fascinating that the English word “spring” for the season has an analogous etymology. It’s related to the old English word springan meaning “burst forth” or “rise up”.

The Chinese had the same idea when they came up with their character 春. The 𡗗 at the top was originally 芚, meaning “sprouting plants” (note the grass radical), which provides both part of the meaning and also the on-yomi pronunciation of shun. Then there’s a sun (日) at the bottom (see that?). Together, they draw a picture of plants “springing” up under the sun.

For extra credit, study the derivations of the other names of seasons: 夏 (natsu, summer); 秋 (aki, autumn); and 冬 (fuyu, winter).

A brief note

This post is an experiment to see how shorter, more frequent posts work. In the poll in the previous article, opinions were almost evenly divided between those preferring the current, long-form posts (which I write about once every two weeks) and those preferring shorter, more frequent posts. Perhaps I will try a mix of the two!