When you think of Autumn, you think of maple leaves!
In Japan, we don’t really say “maple leaves”, but basically “Autumn Leave-)”

Autumn Leave generally refer to the appearance
of all leaves that turn yellow or red before falling, but the “maple leaf maple” that we often talk about is divided into “kaede” and “Autumn Leave” among Japanese people.

The hollow part in the middle of the leaf is shallow, and it resembles the hand of a frog (kaeru) (with a webbed feeling), so it is classified as “kaede” (kaede), and
the hollow part in the middle of the leaf is deeper, and if it resembles a human hand, it is classified as “Autumn Leave”

Isn’t it a little confusing to see this?

Didn’t you just say that Autumn Leave generally refer to all discolored leaves (こうよう),Now it’s said that Autumn Leave actually only represent a part of the leaves (もみじ)??
In fact, there are a lot of such words in Japanese, the same words, different pronunciations mean different meanings ^^

The word “ginkgo” is also two pronunciations and two meanings!

(1) ぎんなん Gin Nan: When this pronunciation is used, it refers to ginkgo biloba, which is commonly known as ginkgo fruit.
(2) イチョウI-cho: This refers to the meaning of the ginkgo tree itself. Most people say that they go to appreciate ginkgo, and they also use this pronunciation.

The autumn foliage season in Japan is around the end of November ~ the beginning of December, so I hope you will have the opportunity to enjoy it!