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[For Elementary Students] Flower Kanji Quiz! How many flowers do you know?

Hidden within the names of flowers we casually see every day are actually lots of kanji reading quizzes.

For flowers like “kinmokusei” (fragrant olive) and “ajisai” (hydrangea), the kanji often have surprising readings and spellings that make you go, “Really?!” The more you learn, the deeper and more fascinating the world of kanji becomes.

You can also learn about the origins of the flowers themselves.

In this article, we introduce kanji quizzes about flowers that children in elementary school through adults can enjoy.

Discover the fun of kanji alongside seasonal flowers!

[For Elementary School Students] Flower Kanji Quiz! How many flowers do you know? (11–20)

Which of the following is the correct kanji for the flower “ajisai” (hydrangea)?

Which of the following is the correct kanji for the flower “ajisai” (hydrangea)?
  1. hydrangea
  2. cherry blossom
  3. chrysanthemum
See the answer

hydrangea

“Ajisai” is written in kanji as “紫陽花.” It’s a beautiful flower made up of clusters of small, colorful blossoms. You often see hydrangeas during the rainy season.

Which of the following is the correct kanji for the flower of “ume” (Japanese plum)?

Which of the following is the correct kanji for the flower of “ume” (Japanese plum)?
  1. cherry blossom
  2. plum
  3. chrysanthemum
See the answer

plum

Ume is written with the kanji “梅.” Its fruit is used to make umeboshi (pickled plums) and umeshu (plum wine). It blooms in spring and is also the origin of the word tsuyu, the rainy season.

How is the flower “cosmos” written in kanji?

How is the flower “cosmos” written in kanji?
  1. cosmos (flower)
  2. garland chrysanthemum
  3. autumn grasses
See the answer

cosmos (flower)

Cosmos is written in kanji as “秋桜.” These characters are used because it means “a flower like cherry blossoms that blooms in autumn.” That’s why the character for “autumn” (秋) is used.

Which of the following is the correct reading of the flower name “桜桃”?

Which of the following is the correct reading of the flower name “桜桃”?
  1. cherry (sweet cherry; cherry fruit)
  2. peach
  3. plum
See the answer

cherry (sweet cherry; cherry fruit)

It’s written as 「桜桃」 and read as “sakuranbo.” 桜桃 refers to cherries. Although the characters for cherry blossom (桜) and peach (桃) are used, the term refers to the tree that bears cherries and to the fruit itself.

Which of the following is the correct kanji for “nanohana”?

Which of the following is the correct kanji for “nanohana”?
  1. rapeseed blossoms
  2. cherry blossoms
  3. plum blossoms
See the answer

rapeseed blossoms

“Nanohana” is written in kanji as 菜の花. It’s a yellow flower that blooms in spring and is also used as a source for rapeseed oil. Please note that cherry blossoms (sakura) and plum blossoms (ume) are different flowers.

In conclusion

How was the kanji quiz about flowers that elementary school students can enjoy? For flowers like cherry blossoms, plums, hydrangeas, and cosmos, kanji are used that express their beauty and characteristics. If you learn seasonal flowers together with their kanji, you’ll naturally build up your knowledge. Once you can write the names of flowers in kanji, you’ll surely come to appreciate the richness of the Japanese language.