半夏生

Japanese

Kanji in this term
半	夏	生
はん Grade: 2	げ Grade: 2	しょう Grade: 1
on'yomi	goon	goon

Noun

半(はん)夏(げ)生(しょう) or 半夏生(ハンゲショウ) • (hangeshō) 

1. the 11th day after the summer solstice and end of the rice planting season; the third 候 (kō, “seasonal phase”) of midsummer

   Hypernym: 夏至 (geshi)

2. Asian lizard's tail, Saururus chinensis

   Synonyms: 片白草 (katashiro-gusa), 三白草 (sanpakusō)

Usage notes

As with many terms that name organisms, this term is often spelled in katakana, especially in biological contexts (where katakana is customary).