Flower in Japanese: hana, explained with its two kanji expressions (2024)

How to say “flower” in Japanese

We can say “hana”. It is the Japanese word for ‘flower’. Very simple, I think. Interestingly, however, it has two different kanji expressions. And unfortunately, their roles are not the same. In this blog post, therefore, I will explain them in detail how they are different. Let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meaning of “hana”
• Example #1: how to say ‘flowers’ in Japanese
• Example #2: how to use “hana” as a metaphor for beauty
• Summary

Definition and meaning of “hana”

First of all, let me start with the definition and meaning of “hana”.

• hana – 花/華 (はな) : a noun meaning ‘flower’ in Japanese. It can also be used as a plural noun meaning ‘flowers’. Learn more about Japanese plural.

Its definition and meaning are quite simple and clear, I think. Yet, it is more than just a noun meaning ‘flower’ or ‘flowers’. Japanese native speakers use it as a metaphor for beauty. For this purpose, mainly the second kanji expression is used; the first one is widely used to mean just ‘flower’ as a plant. So, the definition and meaning above can be updated as follows.

• hana – 花 (はな) : a noun mainly used to mean ‘flower’ or ‘flowers’ in Japanese.
• hana – 華 (はな) : a noun used to mean ‘flower’ or ‘flowers’, but more often used as a metaphor for beauty.

Now the difference is clear, I think. So, when we want to mean ‘flower’ as a plant, we should pick the first one; when we want to make a metaphor or to convey the nuance of ‘beautiful’, we should pick the second one intentionally.

Then, let me explain how to use “hana” through the example sentences below.

Example #1: how to say ‘flowers’ in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, it is put after the pronoun, “watashi”, to make the subject word in the sentence.
• niwa – 庭 (にわ) : a noun meaning ‘garden’ in Japanese.
• de – で : a case particle used to indicate a particular place where someone does something. In the example, it is put after the noun, “niwa”, to indicate the particular place where “watashi” grows flowers.
• wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, it is put after the noun, “hana”, to make the object word in the sentence.
• sodate – 育て (そだて) : one conjugation of the verb, “sodateru”, which means ‘to grow’, ‘to raise’, or such in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• te – て : a conjunctive particle put after a verb or adjective to make its te form. Verbs need to be changed to their te forms to be connected with the auxiliary verb, “iru”.
• iru – いる : an auxiliary verb used to express the continuity of the action described by its preceding verb. In the example, it is used to express the continuity of the action described by its preceding verb, “sodate te”: ‘to grow’.

This is a typical usage of “hana”. In this example, it is used to mean ‘flowers’. When we want to say “flower” or “flowers” in Japanese, this word would be the best choice in most cases.

Japanese native speakers often use the idiomatic expression, “hana wo sodateru”, which literally means ‘to grow flowers’. Its conjugated form is used in the example.

Example #2: how to use “hana” as a metaphor for beauty

Below are the new words and particle used in the example sentence.

• kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
• wa – は : the same as explained in the last example. In this example, it is put after the pronoun, “kanojo”, to make the subject word in the sentence.
• gakkou – 学校 (がっこう) : a noun meaning ‘school’ in Japanese.
• no – の : a case particle used to limit the meaning of its following word with the meaning of its preceding word based on relations like possessing and belonging. In the example, it is used to limit the meaning of its following word, “hana”, with the meaning of its preceding word, “gakkou”. The formed phrase, “gakkou no hana”, can literally be translated as “the flower of the school”. Although word orders in Japanese and English are different, the role of “no” is similar to that of the English preposition, “of”. In reality, the phrase has been translated as “beauty in the school”, though.
• desu – です : an auxiliary verb put after a noun, adjective, or phrase to make it polite. Probably, it is well known as a part of Japanese desu form. In the example, it is put after the noun phrase, “gakkou no hana”, to make it sound polite.

This is another typical usage of “hana”. In this example, it is written as “華” and used as a metaphor for beauty. When we want to use “hana” in this way, we should use this kanji expression.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the word, “hana”, based on its two different kanji expressions. And also, I’ve explained how to use them through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.

• hana – 花 (はな) : a noun mainly used to mean ‘flower’ or ‘flowers’ in Japanese.
• hana wo sodateru – 花を育てる (はなをそだてる) : a Japanese expression for ‘to grow a flower’ or ‘to grow flowers’. Japanese native speakers often use this expression.
• hana – 華 (はな) : a noun used to mean ‘flower’ or ‘flowers’, but more often used as a metaphor for beauty.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.