木の花

Japanese

Kanji in this term
木	花
こ Grade: 1	はな Grade: 1
kun’yomi

Etymology

⟨ko₂ no₂ pana⟩ → /ko no pana/ → /ko no fana/ → /ko no hana/

From Old Japanese 木の花 (ko₂ no₂ pana).

Noun

木(こ)の花(はな) • (konohana) 

1. flowers blooming on a tree, especially, an elegant label for 梅の花 (ume no hana, “plum blossoms”)
   • 905–914, Kokin Wakashū (kana preface)

     難波(なには)津(づ)に咲(さ)くやこの花(はな)冬(ふゆ)ごもり今(いま)は春(はる)辺(べ)と咲(さ)くやこの花(はな)

     Naniwa-zu ni saku ya ko-no-hana fuyu-gomori ima wa harube to saku ya ko-no-hana

     Flowers on the trees in bloom at Naniwazu say, "Now the winter yields its place to the springtime!" Flowers blooming on the trees.

     [Notes: konohana here is interchangable with この花 (kono hana, “these flowers”). In 競技カルタ (kyōgi karuta, “competitive karuta”), the opening poem changes ima wa harube to to 今を春辺と (ima o harube to, “now that spring has come...”).]

Derived terms

• この花(はな) (kono hana, literally “this flower/these flowers”)

Old Japanese

Etymology

Phrase consisting of 木 (ko₂, “tree”) + の (no₂, possessive particle) + 花 (pana, “flower”).

The 木 (ko₂) reading is the combining form (this is one such exception) and probably an older form of ⟨ki₂⟩.

Noun

木の花 (ko₂no₂pana) (kana このはな)

1. flowers blooming on a tree, especially, an elegant label for 櫻の花 (sakura no₂ pana, “cherry blossoms”)
   • 711–712, Kojiki, (First scroll, descent of Ninigi-no-mikoto from heaven, Konohanasakuya-bime):

     亦使木花之佐久夜毘賣者、如木花之榮榮坐、宇氣比弖自【宇下四字以音】貢進。

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Derived terms

• 木花開耶姫, 木花之佐久夜毘賣 (Ko₂no₂panano₂sakuya-bi₁me₁)

Descendants

• Japanese: 木の花 (konohana)