節分

Japanese

Kanji in this term
節	分
せつ Grade: 4	ぶん Grade: 2
on’yomi

Noun

節分 (hiragana せつぶん, rōmaji setsubun)

1. A ceremony celebrating the beginning of spring.
2. The first day of spring in the traditional lunisolar calendar, 立春 (Risshun).
3. (archaic) Any of the days that mark the division between two seasons; the first day of spring, summer (立夏 (Rikka)), autumn (立秋 (Risshū)), or winter (立冬 (Rittō)).

See also

• 立 (りっ)春 (しゅん) (risshun, “first day of spring”)
• 立 (りっ)夏 (か) (rikka, “first day of summer”)
• 立 (りっ)秋 (しゅう) (risshū, “first day of autumn”)
• 立 (りっ)冬 (とう) (rittō, “first day of winter”)
• 節 (せっ)気 (き) (sekki, “solar term”)