Japan's 72 micro-seasons
In Japan each of the 24 solar terms is divided into three kō of about five days. Their names describe what happens outside: animals, plants, weather. The dates are for Japan time.
| Kō | Name | Begins 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| 1. 東風解凍 harukaze kōri o toku | East wind melts the ice | 4 February |
| 2. 黄鶯睍睆 uguisu naku | Bush warblers sing in the mountains | 9 February |
| 3. 魚上氷 uo kōri o izuru | Fish rise from the ice | 14 February |
| 4. 土脉潤起 tsuchi no shō uruoi okoru | Rain moistens the soil | 19 February |
| 5. 霞始靆 kasumi hajimete tanabiku | Mist begins to linger | 23 February |
| 6. 草木萌動 sōmoku mebae izuru | Grass and trees sprout | 28 February |
| 7. 蟄虫啓戸 sugomori mushi to o hiraku | Hibernating insects open their doors | 5 March |
| 8. 桃始笑 momo hajimete saku | First peach blossoms | 10 March |
| 9. 菜虫化蝶 namushi chō to naru | Caterpillars become butterflies | 15 March |
| 10. 雀始巣 suzume hajimete sukuu | Sparrows start to nest | 20 March |
| 11. 桜始開 sakura hajimete hiraku | First cherry blossoms | 26 March |
| 12. 雷乃発声 kaminari sunawachi koe o hassu | Distant thunder is heard | 31 March |
| 13. 玄鳥至 tsubame kitaru | Swallows return | 5 April |
| 14. 鴻雁北 kōgan kita e kaeru | Wild geese fly north | 10 April |
| 15. 虹始見 niji hajimete arawaru | First rainbows | 15 April |
| 16. 葭始生 ashi hajimete shōzu | First reeds sprout | 20 April |
| 17. 霜止出苗 shimo yande nae izuru | Last frost, rice seedlings grow | 25 April |
| 18. 牡丹華 botan hana saku | Peonies bloom | 30 April |
| 19. 蛙始鳴 kawazu hajimete naku | Frogs start singing | 5 May |
| 20. 蚯蚓出 mimizu izuru | Worms surface | 11 May |
| 21. 竹笋生 takenoko shōzu | Bamboo shoots sprout | 16 May |
| 22. 蚕起食桑 kaiko okite kuwa o hamu | Silkworms wake and feast on mulberry leaves | 21 May |
| 23. 紅花栄 benibana sakau | Safflowers bloom | 26 May |
| 24. 麦秋至 mugi no toki itaru | Wheat ripens | 31 May |
| 25. 螳螂生 kamakiri shōzu | Praying mantises hatch | 6 June |
| 26. 腐草為蛍 kusaretaru kusa hotaru to naru | Rotting grass becomes fireflies | 11 June |
| 27. 梅子黄 ume no mi kibamu | Plums turn yellow | 16 June |
| 28. 乃東枯 natsukarekusa karuru | Self-heal withers | 21 June |
| 29. 菖蒲華 ayame hana saku | Irises bloom | 26 June |
| 30. 半夏生 hange shōzu | Crow-dipper sprouts | 2 July |
| 31. 温風至 atsukaze itaru | Warm winds blow | 7 July |
| 32. 蓮始開 hasu hajimete hiraku | First lotus blossoms | 12 July |
| 33. 鷹乃学習 taka sunawachi waza o nasu | Young hawks learn to fly | 17 July |
| 34. 桐始結花 kiri hajimete hana o musubu | Paulownia trees set buds | 23 July |
| 35. 土潤溽暑 tsuchi uruōte mushiatsushi | Damp earth, humid heat | 28 July |
| 36. 大雨時行 taiu tokidoki ni furu | Great rains sometimes fall | 2 August |
| 37. 涼風至 suzukaze itaru | Cool winds blow | 7 August |
| 38. 寒蝉鳴 higurashi naku | Evening cicadas sing | 13 August |
| 39. 蒙霧升降 fukaki kiri matō | Thick fog descends | 18 August |
| 40. 綿柎開 wata no hanashibe hiraku | Cotton bolls open | 23 August |
| 41. 天地始粛 tenchi hajimete samushi | The heat begins to die down | 28 August |
| 42. 禾乃登 kokumono sunawachi minoru | Rice ripens | 2 September |
| 43. 草露白 kusa no tsuyu shiroshi | Dew glistens white on the grass | 7 September |
| 44. 鶺鴒鳴 sekirei naku | Wagtails sing | 13 September |
| 45. 玄鳥去 tsubame saru | Swallows leave | 18 September |
| 46. 雷乃収声 kaminari sunawachi koe o osamu | Thunder ceases | 23 September |
| 47. 蟄虫坏戸 mushi kakurete to o fusagu | Insects seal their burrows | 28 September |
| 48. 水始涸 mizu hajimete karu | Fields are drained | 3 October |
| 49. 鴻雁来 kōgan kitaru | Wild geese return | 8 October |
| 50. 菊花開 kiku no hana hiraku | Chrysanthemums bloom | 13 October |
| 51. 蟋蟀在戸 kirigirisu to ni ari | Crickets chirp at the door | 18 October |
| 52. 霜始降 shimo hajimete furu | First frost | 23 October |
| 53. 霎時施 kosame tokidoki furu | Light rains sometimes fall | 28 October |
| 54. 楓蔦黄 momiji tsuta kibamu | Maples and ivy turn colour | 2 November |
| 55. 山茶始開 tsubaki hajimete hiraku | Sasanqua camellias begin to bloom | 7 November |
| 56. 地始凍 chi hajimete kōru | The land begins to freeze | 12 November |
| 57. 金盞香 kinsenka saku | Daffodils bloom | 17 November |
| 58. 虹蔵不見 niji kakurete miezu | Rainbows hide | 22 November |
| 59. 朔風払葉 kitakaze konoha o harau | North wind blows the leaves from the trees | 27 November |
| 60. 橘始黄 tachibana hajimete kibamu | Tachibana citrus begins to turn yellow | 2 December |
| 61. 閉塞成冬 sora samuku fuyu to naru | Cold sets in, winter begins | 7 December |
| 62. 熊蟄穴 kuma ana ni komoru | Bears retreat to their dens | 12 December |
| 63. 鱖魚群 sake no uo muragaru | Salmon gather and swim upstream | 17 December |
| 64. 乃東生 natsukarekusa shōzu | Self-heal sprouts | 22 December |
| 65. 麋角解 ōshika no tsuno otsuru | Deer shed their antlers | 27 December |
| 66. 雪下出麦 yuki watarite mugi izuru | Wheat sprouts under the snow | 1 January |
| 67. 芹乃栄 seri sunawachi sakau | Water dropwort flourishes | 5 January |
| 68. 水泉動 shimizu atataka o fukumu | Springs thaw | 10 January |
| 69. 雉始雊 kiji hajimete naku | Pheasants start to call | 15 January |
| 70. 款冬華 fuki no hana saku | Butterburs bud | 20 January |
| 71. 水沢腹堅 sawamizu kōri tsumeru | Ice thickens on the streams | 25 January |
| 72. 鶏始乳 niwatori hajimete toya ni tsuku | Hens start to sit on their nests | 30 January |
The names used today are those printed in the Ryakuhon-reki (略本暦) of 1874 (Meiji 7), which go back to the Japanese revisions of the Edo period (Shibukawa Harumi's 本朝七十二候, 1685). They differ in about half the names from the Chinese list (e.g. Xuanming calendar 宣明暦); kō names in China are not the same as in Japan, so never present the Japanese list as 'Chinese'.
Calculated from the Sun's apparent position (PyEphem), to about a minute. Names, meanings and customs after the Hong Kong Observatory, the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan and UNESCO.