Japanese Name for March

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The season has been changing warmer day by day so much to feel spring is just around the corner.  March is called “Yayoi” in Japanese names for months.  The Chinese character 「弥」 means “of the degree of something, to become enormous or extreme, and more and more.”  The name of “Yayoi” is also said to be originated from the seasonal descriptions such as that trees and grasses start blooming or rice plants being soaked in water start sprouting.  (Reference: Sanshodo Daijirin)

Though “Yayoi” is the word for March, the actual time frame is quite different in lunar calendar, which is one or two month behind the solar calendar.  So “Yayoi” expresses the time between the end of March and the beginning of May.  It certainly means the season of fresh green when warm and bright sunshine fills the world.

The pronunciation of “Yayoi” sounds soft and gentle which is why it is one of the famous girl’s names born in spring.