This site uses cookies for ad optimization and service analytics. Privacy Policy
Ipha means entering summer. Spring blossoms fade, the green deepens, and the heat begins.
Ipha, around May 6, is the first term of summer. Crops grow and pests begin to multiply.
Tree frogs call, earthworms emerge, and weeds grow thick in the fields. Rice seedlings grow and barley ripens.
Farms grow busy preparing for rice transplanting. People enjoyed mugwort cakes, savoring the fresh energy around Ipha.
Ipha (Start of Summer) begins when the Sun reaches 45° of ecliptic longitude, exactly halfway between the vernal point and the summer solstice point at 90°. · First pentad, 螻蟈鳴 — the louguo calls. The creature has been read both as the mole cricket and as a frog, and Korean sources have usually presented this as the time when tree frogs start calling. · Second pentad, 蚯蚓出 — earthworms come up out of the ground. · Third pentad, 王瓜生 — the vines of the snake gourd (王瓜) push out. All three of Ipha's signs happen close to the soil. Where spring's pentads dealt mostly with birds and blossoms, from Ipha the focus shifts to creatures in the earth and the grass as the ground warms. In Korea, too, frogs start calling once paddies are flooded in early May, and earthworms appear on paths after rain, so Ipha's first two pentads suit the Korean season well.
Bamboo shoots (juksun) begin to appear around Ipha. They turn more acrid the longer they sit after harvest, so if you get fresh ones, boil them straight away in rice-rinsing water to draw out the harshness. Early-summer peas also arrive now; cooked into rice, they add colour and sweetness. Spring mountain greens that are about to toughen, such as gomchwi and wild garlic, can be pickled in soy brine to become summer side dishes. Children's Day and Parents' Day fall on either side of Ipha, so family outings and meals out pile up. The midday sun is getting properly strong, so bring a hat and a water bottle to outdoor events. At home, it is a good time to swap the winter microfibre duvet for a light cotton one and take the electric fan out of storage to wipe down its blades.
| Year | Begins at |
|---|---|
| 2024 | May 5, 09:10 |
| 2025 | May 5, 14:57 |
| 2026 this year | May 5, 20:49 |
| 2027 | May 6, 02:25 |
| 2028 | May 5, 08:12 |
Start of Summer is one of the twelve jeol (節) that switch the month pillar in Korean Four Pillars astrology. In 2026 the 巳 month begins at May 5, 20:49. Anyone born before that moment carries the previous branch; anyone born after carries 巳.
If your birthday falls near a solar term, the date alone does not settle your month pillar — you need the time of birth as well.
Taking Start of Summer alone: it fell at May 5, 14:57 in 2025 and at May 5, 20:49 in 2026 — roughly 5.9 hours later. The date jumps back a day in 2028 because that is a leap year, so February 29 falls before the term begins.
By longitude, Start of Summer sits at 45° and the next term Grain Buds at 60° — about 15 days apart.
Prepare for transplanting and summer crops
Start sun protection
Enjoy late-spring greens like mugwort
Manage pests and weeds
Adjacent terms:
Explore related fortunes
Start of Summer is the 7th of the 24 solar terms, falling around May 6. Summer begins. Greenery deepens and the sound of frogs starts up.
Ipha means entering summer. Spring blossoms fade, the green deepens, and the heat begins.
Prepare for transplanting and summer crops Start sun protection Enjoy late-spring greens like mugwort Manage pests and weeds