We have seen a lot of vocabulary on the lexicon of nature and gardening. For the penultimate vocabulary lesson before the start of season three, I have therefore decided to teach you the names of flowers and other plants. You already know most of these words because we have seen them during this season.
Very few new kanji, mostly katakana words, forty in total. Most may have a name in kanji and another in katakana, usually from English. This is the case for basil, camellia and lemongrass. Others like the poppy have up to three different denominations: one in Japanese with kanji, another in katakana from English and another in katakana from French.
Do not forget that plant names like animal names are very often written in katakana, even when they have a kanji name. Some of the katakanized words are from French, I will indicate the words where they come from, of course. However, I will not indicate the words from English.
Good learning.
アカシア
. the acacia
アマランス
. the amaranth
アマリリス
. the amaryllis
アネモネ
. the anemone
矢車菊 .
ヤグルマギク
. the cornflower
ボルド
. the boldo
椿 .
ツバキ / カメリア
. the camellia
カモミール
. the chamomile
菊 .
キク
. the chrysanthemum
レモン草 .
レモンくさ / レモングラス
. the lemongrass
雛芥子 .
ヒナゲシ / ポピー / コクリコ
. the poppy (from English, from French "coquelicot")
クロコスミア
. the crocosmia
シクラメン
. the cyclamen
ダリア
. the dahlia
エーデルワイス
. the edelweiss (from German)
ユーカリ
. the eucalyptus
フリージア
. the freesia
竜胆 .
リンドウ
. the gentian
ゼラニウム
. the geranium
グラジオラス
. the gladiolus
ハイビスカス
. the hibiscus
アジサイ
. the hydrangea
ヒヤシンス
. the hyacinth
ジャスミン
. the jasmine
月桂樹 .
ゲッケイジュ / ローレル
. the laurel
ラベンダー
. the lavender
ライラック
. the lilac
百合 .
ユリ
. the lily
雛菊 .
ヒナギク / マーガレット / デイジー ・ デージー
. the daisy
ミント
. the mint
水仙 .
スイセン
. the narcissus, the daffodil
カーネーション
. the carnation
蒲公英 .
タンポポ
. the dandelion
ローズマリー
. the rosemary
薔薇 .
バラ
. the rose
タイム
. the thyme
向日葵 .
ヒマワリ / サンフラワー
. the sunflower
チューリップ
. the tulip
バニラ
. the vanilla
菫 .
スミレ
. the violet
A gentle spring breeze, cherry blossom petals fluttering in the wind, covering the ground with a pink flowerbed. It is a well-known image in the heart of the Japanese archipelago. However, cherry blossoms are found all over the world, so why such importance in the land of the Rising Sun? How did this flower become such a symbol? What is his story? It’s time to answer all these questions.
In Japanese, the cherry blossom is designated by the word SAKURA (桜 . さくら), a word which appears for the first time during the Nara period (奈良時代), i.e. in the 8th century AD in what is considered to be the oldest collection of poetry in Japan, the Man'yōshū (万葉集). The word SAKURA (桜) is then written with two kanji, the first of which (神) which is pronounced "SA" may be familiar to you if you are a little Japanese. Yes, you will have recognized the character used to designate a god or divinity, even if today it is almost no longer pronounced that way. Completed with another character designating a place where offerings are made, the word SAKURA (桜) therefore originally refers to the signs given by the gods that the time had come to plant rice. You will have understood, this sign was none other than the flowering of the cherry trees. Today, the cherry blossom has its own kanji but at that time flowers were generally associated with deities, hence the use of this character, and it is precisely during this period called the Nara period (奈良時代) that the cherry blossom is chosen to represent the Japanese government, a way of standing out from China, whose emblem was then the plum blossom. No doubt also a way for the Japanese to tell their neighbors that they should now be reckoned with.
The cherry blossom therefore established itself as a political emblem on the international scene, and it has remained so since it is still the emblem of the country today. As a reminder, in the floral register, the chrysanthemum is also considered a Japanese emblem, that of the imperial family, even if it is less known. Moreover, when the word SAKURA (桜) is written in katakana, it is synonymous with fraud. Over the centuries, however, the cherry blossom has been associated with other events that are not always very joyful. We can cite in particular the soldiers who sacrificed themselves for the Emperor during the civil war at the beginning of the Meiji era (明治時代), the symbol of the Japanese occupation in subsequently conquered territories such as Taiwan or Korea where the Japanese planted cherry trees everywhere to clearly show their presence. Finally during the Second World War, it became a true symbol of identity and propaganda instruments to the point of being painted on the planes of kamikazes, a metaphor to show, I quote, that they "fall for the homeland like cherry petals". This little flower has crossed the history of Japan to the present day with all kinds of meaning and symbol. One last small example: the Japanese police badge also has the shape of a cherry blossom. But you will see that well beyond the historical and political aspect, it is its poetic side which still predominates despite everything in Japanese culture.
Here we enter the register not only of poetry but also and above all of philosophy. For us Westerners, very attached to notions such as material possession or the idea of immortality, it is not easy to understand what the Japanese mean by MONO NO AWARE (物の哀れ). This could be translated as “empathy towards things”. Behind this concept lies in reality a whole way of thinking strongly inspired by Buddhism and which has also enormously influenced Japanese art in many aspects. MONO NO AWARE (物の哀れ) refers to ephemeral and immaterial beauty. The term AWARE (哀れ) itself appears shortly after SAKURA (桜) during the period following NARA, the so-called HEIAN era (平安時代). AWARE (哀れ) is almost untranslatable, it is more a kind of exclamation which reflects wonder at beauty. This term is notably used extensively in one of the most famous Japanese works, The Tale of Genji (源氏物語) by MURASAKI SHIKIBU (紫 式部) and which is often considered as the first true novel in literature and not just Japanese literature. But what connection is there between this philosophical thought and the cherry blossom? Quite simply the fact that SAKURA (桜) is a perfect example to illustrate the ephemeral beauty to which MONO NO AWARE (物の哀れ) relates.
As you may know, the flowering period of cherry trees is relatively short. No more than 10 to 15 days on average, which also means that it is necessary to plan your trip to Japan well at this time of year to attend. This ephemeral flowering therefore perfectly symbolizes this notion and beyond the simple aesthetic or spiritual beauty, it also and above all reminds everyone to what extent the material world in which we live does not last. These few days between the end of March and the beginning of April are an important moment in the lives of the Japanese, and in the same way that the SAKURA (桜) open, flower then wither, it coincides with renewal, the end of something and the beginning of the sequel. The school year, for example, which in Japan ends in March and starts again in April. To finish on this particular notion of MONO NO AWARE, it is also what gave birth to the floating world the famous ukiyo which we find in particular in the art of ukiyo-e, in other words the famous Japanese prints. Regardless, knowing this, it is hardly surprising that simply going to admire the cherry blossoms in spring has become a centuries-old tradition.
Let’s go back to the etymology for a second to quickly explain the word HANAMI (花見), this famous custom which today consists of going for a picnic under the cherry blossom trees. The meaning of this word is understandable at first glance because it remains extremely simple. It is in fact composed of two kanji: HANA (the flower) and MI from the verb MIRU, that is to say “to look”. In other words, HANAMI (花見) will easily translate as “looking at the flowers”, obviously implying cherry trees. This custom stems directly from the philosophical movement I mentioned, MONO NO AWARE, and appeared around the same time, during the HEIAN period. This is also longer than the Nara period since it extends from the 9th to the 12th century. Originally, it was above all about celebrating ephemerality and immateriality according to the idea of MONO NO AWARE (物の哀れ) and the life cycle of cherry blossoms is very short, as we have seen, and the SAKURAS thus become a metaphor for the cycle of life in the broad sense. In the West we could compare this symbolism to the famous Carpe Diem because this ephemeral nature of things implies that we must enjoy life as much as possible. This is how is summed up the HANAMI (花見). And the least we can say is that the Japanese are extremely attached to this custom. Flowering is very brief, barely ten days in general, so you have to hurry to take advantage of it, but this is not always easy for the Japanese, particularly given their working hours, and that is why they seek to enjoy it to the fullest even at night. In certain places, lighting is set up expressly to allow those who were unable to do their HANAMI (花見) during the day to still admire the SAKURAS (桜) and to have a picnic if they wish. It also has a name: YOZAKURA (夜桜 . よざくら), which we could translate as “evening sakura”. There are even festivals, in Japanese MATSURI (祭り . まつり), organized in certain localities to celebrate SAKURAMANKAI (桜満開), in other words the moment when flowering reaches its peak. This is the case for example in Tokyo in the NAKAMEGURO district (中目黒). HANAMI (花見) is an important time of the year in Japan. During these few days, it is on everyone’s lips, on all the television channels where we follow almost hour by hour the progression of the flowering from the south to the north of the country. The shops are adorned with pale pink colors almost everywhere and it is not uncommon to see people stopping to photograph cherry trees from every angle. Every year, the same ritual begins again. Cherry blossoms literally invade the country decorating plates and culinary specialties: dried or marinated petals to season or even infuse in tea, incorporated into ONIGIRI (お握り . おにぎり) and more.
Finally, when we think of SAKURA (桜) or HANAMI (花見), we obviously immediately think of spring, and yet out of the 600 species of cherry trees present in the Japanese archipelago, there is one that blooms twice in the year. In spring but also in autumn, between the end of October and the beginning of January, hence their name JUUGATSUSAKURA (十月桜) or October cherry tree and they are also sometimes called SAKURA (桜) or winter cherry tree (冬桜 . ふゆざくら). Admiring them is not so easy and you already have to go to the northwest of Tokyo in Gunma prefecture. The most emblematic place, however, lives up to its name: SAKURAYAMA (桜山 . さくらやま), in other words “cherry mountain”.
Note that for some plant names in kanji like 雛芥子 . ヒナゲシ, one of the denominations of the poppy, the purely Japanese pronunciation of the kanji 雛 is written in katakana. Same for 雛菊 . ヒナギク which refers to daisies and daisies. As I told you, it is very often in katakana that the names of plants are written.
Pay attention to the word 向日葵 . ヒマワリ whose pronunciation does not match the kanji. The katakanized English version サンフラワー remains little used compared to the kanji version. Same thing for the word 蒲公英 . タンポポ. Finally, the pronunciation of the kanji 菫 is purely Japanese but is still very often written in katakana. Ditto for the kanji 椿, the pronunciation indicated in the list is purely Japanese but is still very often written in katakana. The kanji 椿 is still widely used.
Finally, vanilla is actually the name of a plant, and it is from this plant that the vanilla flavor often used in cooking is extracted.
Before leaving you, I would like to add one last thing. With flowers, plants, it is possible to make tea. Maybe you yourself drink tea regularly. Several times during this season, I have shown you how words are created in Japanese. So, in your opinion, how do you say "the jasmine tea" or "the rosemary tea"? It's very simple, you follow the following scheme:
[plant name] + 茶 . チャ
I’ll give you some more concrete examples:
ジャスミン茶 . ジャスミンチャ . the jasmine tea
ローズマリー茶 . ローズマリーチャ . the rosemary tea
ラベンダー茶 . ラベンダーチャ . the lavender tea
ハイビスカス茶 . ハイビスカスチャ . the hibiscus tea
バニラ茶 . バニラチャ . the vanilla tea
The scheme for flavors/aromas is exactly the same: [plant name] + 味 . あじ.
ジャスミン味 . ジャスミンあじ . the jasmine aroma
ローズマリー味 . ローズマリーあじ . the rosemary aroma
ラベンダー味 . ラベンダーあじ . the lavender aroma
ハイビスカス味 . ハイビスカスあじ . the hibiscus aroma
バニラ味 . バニラあじ . the vanilla aroma
You already know the kanji 味. We saw it in the words 趣味 and 興味. I take this opportunity to give you a new verb: 味わう . あじわう. It means "to taste, to savor".
The lexicon of flowers is incredibly vast and it is obvious that the above list is far from being exhaustive. I focused on the simplest flower names, mostly coming from the English language. Some names are written with kanji and these are not the easiest to memorize. That said, I count on you to keep courage. Be patient, be persistent. Keep trying and remember that writing helps memorization.
Finally, don't forget to practice combining flower names with 茶 . チャ and 味 . あじ to create new words. I can guarantee you that you will find a good part of this vocabulary in the exercises before the start of the third season.
Introduction