• 夏至げし — summer solstice
• 常夏とこなつ — everlasting summer
• 夏休なつやすみ — summer vacation
• 真夏まなつ — midsummer
• 夏祭なつまつり — summer festival
• 初夏しょか — early summer
• 夏季かき — summer season
• 夏服なつふく — summer clothes

夏 originally showed a dancer wearing a mask for rituals — often performed during summer festivals. The symbol gradually became associated with the season of heat and festivities.