夏 — “summer” in Japanese

Grade 2か, なつ

Radical ⼢ · radical 35 The building block this kanji is filed under

“summer” in Japanese is 夏, read ka, natsu (か, なつ). It is a Grade 2 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 2 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 夏休み (summer vacation).

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What does 夏 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	夏
Meaning	summer
Readings	か, なつ
Grade	Grade 2 (Easy)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	夏休み (summer vacation)

How to read 夏

夏 is read ka (か) or natsu (なつ) depending on the word.

Words with 夏

夏祭なつまつ
初夏しょか
真夏まなつ
夏休なつやす
夏至
夏休み

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Updated: 2026-08-28