Hanakotoba
/ˌhɑː.nəˈkoʊ.tə.bəʊ/noun
The Japanese symbolic language of flowers, in which particular flowers communicate emotions or messages.
Did you know?Hanakotoba developed alongside the broader tradition of assigning symbolic meanings to flowers, much like Victorian floriography, but remains a living part of Japanese gift and floral culture.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Japanese
Japanese
hana
“Flower or blossom”
Old Japanese
Japanese
koto
“Thing, matter, or spoken expression”
Old Japanese
Japanese
ba
“A nominal element associated with words or expressions; its exact historical analysis in kotoba is debated”
Medieval–Early Modern Japan
Japanese
kotoba
“Word, language, or speech”
19th Century
Japanese
hanakotoba
“The symbolic meanings or language assigned to flowers”
Modern English
English
hanakotoba
“A Japanese flower-language system used to express messages and emotions symbolically”