Meaning
夏天 refers to the summer season, typically the hottest time of year. It is one of the four seasons (四季) and in the Northern Hemisphere generally spans June through August. In Chinese culture, summer is associated with heat, growth, and outdoor activities.
Usage
This is an extremely common everyday word used by all speakers. It can function as a time word without needing a preposition, as in '夏天很热' (summer is very hot). Native speakers often use it to describe vacation periods, weather conditions, or seasonal activities like swimming and eating watermelon.
Examples
- 01夏天我喜欢去海边游泳。.In summer I like to go swimming at the beach.
- 02今年夏天特别热。.This summer is especially hot.
Characters
Measure words
- 个一个夏天
Common collocations
- 夏天到了summer has arrived
- 炎热的夏天hot summer
- 今年夏天this summer
Antonyms
Origin
夏 is one of the ancient Chinese words for summer, also the name of the first Chinese dynasty. 天 originally meant 'sky' or 'heaven' but is commonly used in season words to mean 'time' or 'season,' as in 春天 (spring), 秋天 (autumn), 冬天 (winter).