花 — Kanji Reference

花 (flower): 7 strokes, JLPT N5. On: カ. Kun: はな.

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花

Property Value
Meaning flower
Strokes 7
JLPT Level N5
On-reading (音読み) カ (ka)
Kun-reading (訓読み) はな (hana)
Radical 艹 (Grass radical / くさかんむり - U+8279)

Stroke Order

The kanji 花 follows the standard rule of top-to-bottom and left-to-right.

  1. Stroke 1: Horizontal line for the grass radical (left side).
  2. Stroke 2: Short vertical line dropping from the left of the horizontal bar.
  3. Stroke 3: Short vertical line dropping from the right of the horizontal bar.
  4. Stroke 4: The horizontal top bar of the phonetic component (化).
  5. Stroke 5: The left vertical stroke (撇) of the component.
  6. Stroke 6: The right vertical stroke (豎) of the component.
  7. Stroke 7: The final vertical hook (豎彎鉤) completing the component.

Radical Analysis

  • Radical (部首): 艹 (くさかんむり - kusakanmuri). This represents "grass" or "plants." Almost all kanji with this radical relate to vegetation or botanical items.
  • Phonetic Component: 化 (ka - to change/transform). In this kanji, 化 provides the sound ka. Historically, it suggests the "transformation" of a plant into a flower.

Mnemonic

Imagine the grass radical (艹) at the top is a patch of green lawn. Below it, the 化 component looks like a person standing and bowing. Mnemonic: A person stands in the grass and bows down to smell the beautiful flower (花).

On-readings (音読み) with Examples

カ (ka)

Word Reading Romaji English
花粉 かふん kafun pollen
花火 はなび hanabi fireworks
花壇 かだん kadan flower bed
開花 かいか kaika blooming

Kun-readings (訓読み) with Examples

はな (hana)

Word Reading Romaji English
花見 はなみ hanami flower viewing
花屋 はなや hanaya florist
生け花 いけばな ikebana flower arrangement

JLPT N5 Words Using 花

Word Reading Romaji English JLPT
花 はな hana flower N5
花火 はなび hanabi fireworks N5
花見 はなみ hanami flower viewing N5
花屋 はなや hanaya florist N5
生け花 いけばな ikebana flower arrangement N4
花粉症 かふんしょう kafunshō hay fever N3
花束 はなたば hanataba bouquet N3
花瓶 かびん kabin vase N3

Example Sentences

Japanese Reading Romaji English
この花はとても綺麗です。 このはなはとてもきれいです。 Kono hana wa totemo kirei desu. This flower is very beautiful.
来週、花見に行きます。 らいしゅう、はなみにいきます。 Raishū, hanami ni ikimasu. I will go flower viewing next week.
夏の夜に花火を見ました。 なつのよるにはなびをみました。 Natsu no yoru ni hanabi o mimashita. I watched fireworks on a summer night.
花瓶に花を飾ります。 かびんにはなをかざります。 Kabin ni hana o kazarimasu. I will decorate the vase with flowers.
彼女は花束をもらいました。 かのじょははなたばをもらいました。 Kanojo wa hanataba o moraimashita. She received a bouquet.
春になると花が咲きます。 はるになるとはながさきます。 Haru ni naru to hana ga sakimasu. Flowers bloom when spring arrives.

Common Confusion Pairs

Kanji Reading Meaning How to distinguish
花 はな flower Has the grass radical (艹) on top.
化 か change Lacks the grass radical; represents a person changing.
茶 ちゃ tea Has the grass radical, but the bottom component (余) is different.

Usage Frequency Note

花 is a high-frequency kanji used daily in both formal and informal contexts. It is one of the first kanji learned by students because it is visually distinct and represents a common, culturally significant concept in Japan (e.g., hanami). It appears frequently in literature, news, and casual conversation.