花

Stroke order

See images of 花
(radical 140 + 4)

花 (Kangxi radical 140, 艸+4, 8 strokes in traditional Chinese and Korean, 7 strokes in simplified Chinese and Japanese, cangjie input 廿人心 (TOP), four-corner 4421₄, composition ⿱艹化)

• 埖, 婲, 㬸, 椛, 㳸, 硴, 糀, 誮, 錵, 蒊
• 𠵅, 𢯘, 𤦙, 𩋖, 𩤉, 𩸽, 𠝐, 𫈪, 𦷌, 𠎍, 𤰏
• 𫢮, 𮖏, 𬦷, 𬧧

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 1020, character 21
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 30734
• Dae Jaweon: page 1478, character 5
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 5, page 3181, character 7
• Unihan data for U+82B1

• Unihan data for U+2F993

Wikipedia has articles on:

• 花 (Written Standard Chinese^?)
• 花 (Cantonese)
• 花 (Gan)
• fâ (Hakka)
• huă (Eastern Min)
• hoe (Southern Min)
• 花 (Wu)

Historical forms of the character 花
Western Zhou	Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)	Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Bronze inscriptions	Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts

Phono-semantic compound (形聲 / 形声, OC *hʷraː) : semantic 艹 (“grass; plant”) + phonetic 化 (OC *hŋʷraːls). Originally 𠌶 or 華 before the Han dynasty.

Unclear. According to Schuessler (2007), either from:

• Proto-Sino-Tibetan *baːr (“bloom, flower”) and thus an example of possible *b ~ *w variation, with final -r moved to medial position. If so, cognate with 葩 (OC *pʰraː); outside Sinitic, compare Burmese ပန်း (pan:), Lepcha ᰓᰫᰲ (búr), Mizo páar. Sagart (2021) also connects it to 葩 (OC *pʰˤra), modifying Baxter and Sagart's (2014) reconstruction to *Cə-pʰˤra and proposing the sound changes *Cə-pʰ- > *Cə-ɸ- > *ɸ- > xw-.
• Or from Austroasiatic; compare Proto-Mon-Khmer *pkaaw ~ *pkaʔ (“flower, blossom”).

華 (OC *ɡʷraː, “to flower”) is a derivative.

花

1. flower; blossom (Classifier: 朵 m c; 支 m c; 蕊 h mn; 束 m c; 把 m; 盆 m c; 簇 m; 紮／扎 c)

   太陽花／太阳花  ―  tàiyánghuā  ―  sunflower

   開花／开花  ―  kāihuā  ―  to blossom

2. florid; flowery

   花花綠綠／花花绿绿  ―  huāhualǜlǜ  ―  colorful

3. pattern; design

   花紋／花纹  ―  huāwén  ―  decorative pattern

4. blurred

   眼花  ―  yǎnhuā  ―  to have blurred vision

5. fireworks

   煙花／烟花  ―  yānhuā  ―  fireworks

6. essence; cream
7. wound; wounded
   • 1998, Chiung Yao, 還珠格格, episode 13, 赵薇 (actor):

     本來呀，我可以狠狠的教訓他一頓，當著所有的太監和宮女面前，打得他臉蛋開花！ [MSC, trad.]
     本来呀，我可以狠狠的教训他一顿，当着所有的太监和宫女面前，打得他脸蛋开花！ [MSC, simp.]

     Běnlái ya, wǒ kěyǐ hěnhēn de jiàoxùn tā yī dùn, dāng zhe suǒyǒu de tàijiān hé gōngnǚ miànqián, dǎ de tā liǎndàn kāi huā!

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   • 2001, Chiung Yao, 情深深雨濛濛, 49 episodes edition, episode 2, 蘇有朋 (actor):

     你沒有對人家怎麼樣？你看那姑娘臉都花了！ [MSC, trad.]
     你没有对人家怎么样？你看那姑娘脸都花了！ [MSC, simp.]

     Nǐ méiyǒu duì rénjiā zěnmeyàng? Nǐ kàn nà gūniang liǎn dōu huā lei!

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   • 2004, 臧希, 臧里, “英雄气概（下）” (11:03 from the start), in 家有儿女, season 1, episode 34, 马书良 (actor):

     一进门啊，我先□他个满脸花。让他服软。 [Beijing Mandarin, simp.]
     一進門啊，我先□他個滿臉花。讓他服軟。 [Beijing Mandarin, trad.]

     Yī jìn ménr a, wǒ xiān cèi tā ge mǎn liǎn huā. Ràng tā fúruǎnr.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

8. Short for 天花 (tiānhuā, “smallpox”).

   種花／种花  ―  zhònghuā  ―  to vaccinate against smallpox

9. courtesan; prostitute
10. to spend (money, time, etc.); to cost

    這件衣服花了不到一百塊 [MSC, trad.]
    这件衣服花了不到一百块 [MSC, simp.]

    zhè jiàn yīfú huā le bùdào yībǎi kuài

    This clothing cost less than 100 yuan.

11. profligate
12. (slang) randy; lecherous
13. (slang) to be horny; to womanize

    儂又要去花儂個女朋友了是𠲎？ [Shanghainese, trad.]
    侬又要去花侬个女朋友了是𠲎？ [Shanghainese, simp.]

    From: 2007, 上海话大词典, page 52

    ⁶non ⁶yeu ⁵iau ⁵chi ¹ho ⁶non ⁸gheq ⁶gniu-ban-yeu ⁰leq ⁶zy-va [Wugniu]

    You're going to seduce your girlfriend again aren't you?

14. false
15. (Cantonese) scratched

    佢著咗呢對鞋兩個月就已經花嗮喇。 [Cantonese, trad.]
    佢着咗呢对鞋两个月就已经花嗮喇。 [Cantonese, simp.]

    keoi⁵ zoek³ zo² ni¹ deoi³ haai⁴ loeng⁵ go³ jyut⁶ zau⁶ ji⁵ ging¹ faa¹ saai³ laa³.

    He's worn the shoes for only two months and they're already all scratched up.

    個底花嗮／个底花嗮 [Cantonese]  ―  go³ dai² faa¹ saai³   ―  to have a bad record

16. (Cantonese, of images, drawings, patterns, etc.) over-colorful; chaotic; messy
17. (Cantonese, card games) flush
18. (Hong Kong) pip (insignia) (Classifier: 粒 c)
    • 1991, Fight Back to School, spoken by Police Commissioner (Scissor Legs) (Barry Wong):

    • 男人婆，同我叫嗮啲膊頭有花嘅即刻上嚟！ [Cantonese, trad.]
      男人婆，同我叫嗮啲膊头有花嘅即刻上嚟！ [Cantonese, simp.]

      naam⁴ jan⁴ po⁴, tung⁴ ngo⁵ giu³ saai³ di¹ bok³ tau⁴ jau⁵ faa¹ ge³ zik¹ kaak¹ soeng⁵ lei⁴!

      Tomboy, call everyone who has pips on their shoulder to here!

19. (Xiamen and Zhangzhou Hokkien) to extinguish; to put out (of fire)
20. (Quanzhou Hokkien) to disappear (of a scar)
21. (dialectal Mandarin, Northern Wu) Clipping of 棉花 (“cotton”).

    • 張家裡囡兒末張家裡花　張家裡囡兒末登勒田中卸棉花 [Northern Wu, trad.]
      张家里囡儿末张家里花　张家里囡儿末登勒田中卸棉花 [Northern Wu, simp.]

      From: , "Of whose family's this daughter, of whose family these blooms" (啥人家囡兒啥人家花), Southern Wuxi folklore tune

      ¹tsan-ka₁-li₀ ⁶noe-gni₂-meq₈ ¹tsan-ka₁-li₀ ¹hu ¹tsan-ka₁-li₀ ⁶noe-gni₂-meq₈ ¹ten-leq₈ ²die-tson₁ ⁵sia ²mie-hu₁ [Wugniu]

      Of the Chang family is this daughter; for the Chang family this cotton blooms. It is a daughter of the Chang family, who unloads cotton here in these fields.

22. (Shanghainese) to tease

    儂覅來花我了，我根本覅儂搿本書。 [Shanghainese, trad.]
    侬覅来花我了，我根本覅侬搿本书。 [Shanghainese, simp.]

    From: 2007, 上海话大词典, page 52

    ⁶non ⁶viau ⁶le ¹ho-ngu₆-leq₀ ⁶ngu ¹ken-pen₅ ⁶viau ⁶non ⁸geq-pen₆ ¹sy [Wugniu]

    Stop teasing me, I didn't even want your book in the first place.

23. a surname. Hua

• (flower):

• (to spend time): (Cantonese, Hakka, Teochew) 使; (Hokkien, Teochew) 開／开
• (cotton):

Others:

• → Ai-Cham: hwa¹
• → Zhuang: va

• “花”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎, 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–
• “Entry #4442”, in 教育部臺灣台語常用詞辭典 [Dictionary of Frequently-Used Taiwanese Taigi] (overall work in Mandarin and Hokkien), Ministry of Education, R.O.C., 2024.

Japanese Wikipedia has an article on:

花

Wikipedia ^ja

Shinjitai	花
Kyūjitai	花󠄁 花+󠄁? (Adobe-Japan1)
The displayed kanji may be different from the image due to your environment. See here for details.

(First grade kyōiku kanji)

1. flower
2. beauty
3. red-light district

• Go-on: け (ke)^{←け (ke, historical)←くゑ (kwe, ancient)}
• Kan-on: か (ka, Jōyō)^{←くわ (kwa, historical)}
• Kun: はな (hana, 花, Jōyō)
• Nanori: あや (aya)、はる (haru)

/pana/ → /fana/ → /hana/

From Old Japanese, from Proto-Japonic *pana.

• (Tokyo) はな (Odaka – )^[1]
• IPA^(key):

• Audio:

  (file)

• (Osaka) はな (Atamadaka – )
• IPA^(key):

花(はな) • (hana) 

1. a flower

   花(はな)が咲(さ)く頃(ごろ)

   hana ga saku goro

   when the flowers bloom

   • 1999 February 4, “火(か)炎(えん)草(そう) [Fire Grass]”, in Vol.1, Konami:

     火(か)山(ざん)の近(ちか)くに生(せい)息(そく)する草(くさ)。花(はな)から火(か)炎(えん)を吹(ふ)き攻(こう)撃(げき)する。

     Kazan no chikaku ni seisoku suru kusa. Hana kara kaen o fuki kōgeki suru.

     A grass that grows near volcanoes. It breathes fire from its flowers.

   • 1999 March 1, “ダーク・プラント [Dark Plant]”, in BOOSTER 1, Konami:

     汚(お)染(せん)された土(つち)と闇(やみ)の力(ちから)で育(そだ)てられた花(はな)。とても凶(きょう)暴(ぼう)。

     Osen sareta tsuchi to yami no chikara de sodaterareta hana. Totemo kyōbō.

     A flower that grows from polluted soil and dark powers. It is very nasty.

   • 1999 May 25, “深(しん)淵(えん)に咲(さ)く花(はな) [The Flower That Blooms in the Abyss]”, in BOOSTER 2, Konami:

     光(ひかり)の届(とど)かない深(しん)淵(えん)にひっそりと咲(さ)く、あまり見(み)かけない花(はな)。

     Hikari no todokanai shin'en ni hissori to saku, amari mikakenai hana.

     A rarely seen flower that silently blooms in the depths of the abyss where the sun never shines.

   • 1999 July 5, “命(いのち)ある花(か)瓶(びん) [Living Vase]”, in BOOSTER 3, Konami:

     生(い)けてある花(はな)から、花(か)粉(ふん)を飛(と)ばし噛(か)みついてくる生(い)きている花(か)瓶(びん)。

     Iketearu hana kara, kafun o tobashi kamitsuitekuru ikiteiru kabin.

     A living vase that bites and releases pollen from its living flowers.

2. Short for 生け花 (ikebana): flower arrangement
3. Short for 花札 (hanafuda): Japanese playing cards
4. the best days of one's life
5. the best thing
6. essence

花(か) • (ka) ^{←くわ (kwa)?}

1. flower
2. red-light district