Early Spring of the New Year 初春
shoshun2 characters16 strokes
初春 (shoshun) means the beginning of spring, and because the old calendar started the year in spring, it is also a word for the New Year.
Free practice sheet
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Meaning 意味
What 初春 means
The Japanese word for Early Spring of the New Year, written with 2 kanji and read shoshun.
初春 means the first days of spring. In the old Japanese calendar the New Year marked the start of spring, so the word is still used to celebrate the New Year.
When people write it in Japan. People in Japan write 初春 on New Year cards and for kakizome, the first calligraphy of the New Year. It suits any piece that celebrates welcoming a new year.
Japanese children know every kanji here by 4th grade.
How to write it 書き方
Brush tips for 初春
Three things to watch
- In 初, the 5th stroke of the clothing radical on the left (koromohen) is a dot. Keep it short, stop firmly, and leave space so it does not bump into 刀 on the right.
- Of the three horizontal strokes in 春, make the third one the longest. It sets the width of the whole character.
- In 春, the 4th stroke sweeps down to the left and the 5th stroke sweeps down to the right. Open them wide so they wrap around the 日 below.
Stroke order
Follow the vermilion stroke, frame by frame.
Stroke order data: KanjiVG by Ulrich Apel, CC BY-SA 3.0.
How to practice 練習
Trace first, then copy
- PrintPrint both pages at actual size, on US Letter or A4. Page 1 is the model. Page 2 is the tracing sheet.
- TraceTrace the outlines with a brush pen. Or lay thin hanshi paper over the page and trace with brush and ink.
- CopySet the model beside your paper and copy it stroke by stroke. Look at the model more than at your own paper.
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