梅花

Chinese

		plum flower	flower; blossom; to spend flower; blossom; to spend; fancy pattern
trad. (梅花)		梅	花
simp. #(梅花)		梅	花

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): méihuā

  (Zhuyin): ㄇㄟˊ ㄏㄨㄚ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): mui⁴ faa¹
• Hakka

  (Sixian, PFS): mòi-fâ

  (Hailu, HRS): moi fa^ˋ

  (Meixian, Guangdong): moi² fa¹

• Northern Min (KCR): mô-huá
• Puxian Min (Pouseng Ping'ing): buei² hua¹
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): mûi-hoe / bôe-hoa / moâi-hoe / môe-hoe

  (Teochew, Peng'im): bhuê⁵ huê¹

• Wu (Northern, Wugniu): ⁶me-ho₁ / ²me-ho₁
• Xiang (Changsha, Wiktionary): mei² fa¹

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: méihuā
    • Zhuyin: ㄇㄟˊ ㄏㄨㄚ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: méihua
    • Wade–Giles: mei²-hua¹
    • Yale: méi-hwā
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: meihua
    • Palladius: мэйхуа (mɛjxua)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /meɪ̯³⁵ xu̯ä⁵⁵/
      
  • (Standard Chinese, erhua-ed)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: méihuār
    • Zhuyin: ㄇㄟˊ ㄏㄨㄚㄦ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: méihuar
    • Wade–Giles: mei²-hua¹-ʼrh
    • Yale: méi-hwār
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: meihual
    • Palladius: мэйхуар (mɛjxuar)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /meɪ̯³⁵ xu̯ɑɻ⁵⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: mui⁴ faa¹
    • Yale: mùih fā
    • Cantonese Pinyin: mui⁴ faa¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: mui⁴ fa¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /muːi̯²¹ faː⁵⁵/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: mòi-fâ
    • Hakka Romanization System: moi^ˇ fa^ˊ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: moi² fa¹
    • Sinological IPA: /moi̯¹¹ fa²⁴/
  • (Hailu, incl. Zhudong)
    • Hakka Romanization System: moi fa^ˋ
    • Sinological IPA: /moi⁵⁵ fa⁵³/
  • (Meixian)
    • Guangdong: moi² fa¹
    • Sinological IPA: /moɪ¹¹ fa⁴⁴/
• Northern Min
  • (Jian'ou)
    • Kienning Colloquial Romanized: mô-huá
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /mo³³ xua⁵⁴/
• Puxian Min
  • (Putian)
    • Pouseng Ping'ing: buei² hua¹ [Phonetic: buei⁵ ua¹]
    • Báⁿ-uā-ci̍: bói-hua
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /puei¹³⁻¹¹ ^(h-)ua⁵³³/
  • (Xianyou)
    • Pouseng Ping'ing: buei² hua¹ [Phonetic: buei⁵ ua¹]
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /puei²⁴⁻²¹ ^(h-)ua⁵⁴⁴/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Quanzhou, General Taiwanese, Xiamen)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: mûi-hoe
    • Tâi-lô: muî-hue
    • Phofsit Daibuun: mui'hoef
    • IPA (Xiamen): /muĩ²⁴⁻²² hue⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /muĩ²³⁻³³ hue⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /muĩ²⁴⁻²² hue³³/
    • IPA (Taipei): /muĩ²⁴⁻¹¹ hue⁴⁴/
  • (Hokkien: Zhangzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: bôe-hoa
    • Tâi-lô: buê-hua
    • Phofsit Daibuun: boe'hoaf
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /bue¹³⁻²² hua⁴⁴/
  • (Hokkien: variant in Taiwan)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: moâi-hoe
    • Tâi-lô: muâi-hue
    • Phofsit Daibuun: moai'hoef
    • IPA (Taipei): /muãi²⁴⁻¹¹ hue⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /muãi²³⁻³³ hue⁴⁴/
  • (Hokkien: variant in Taiwan)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: môe-hoe
    • Tâi-lô: muê-hue
    • Phofsit Daibuun: moe'hoef
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /muẽ²³⁻³³ hue⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Taipei): /muẽ²⁴⁻¹¹ hue⁴⁴/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: bhuê⁵ huê¹
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: buê hue
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /bue⁵⁵⁻¹¹ hue³³/
• Wu
  • (Northern: Shanghai)
    • Wugniu: ⁶me-ho₁
    • MiniDict: me^去 ho^平
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ³me-ho₁
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /me²² ho⁴⁴/
  • (Northern: Suzhou, Jiaxing)
    • Wugniu: ²me-ho₁
    • MiniDict: me^平 ho^平
    • Sinological IPA (Suzhou): /me²² ho³³/
    • Sinological IPA (Jiaxing): /me²² ho⁴⁴/
• Xiang
  • (Changsha)
    • Wiktionary: mei² fa¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /me̞i̯¹³ ɸa̠³³/

---

• Middle Chinese: mwoj xwae

Rime
Character	梅	花
Reading #	1/1	1/1
Initial (聲)	明 (4)	曉 (32)
Final (韻)	灰 (42)	麻 (99)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Closed	Closed
Division (等)	I	II
Fanqie	莫杯切	呼瓜切
Baxter	mwoj	xwae
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/muʌi/	/hˠua/
Pan Wuyun	/muoi/	/hʷᵚa/
Shao Rongfen	/muɒi/	/xua/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/mwəj/	/hwaɨ/
Li Rong	/muᴀi/	/xua/
Wang Li	/muɒi/	/xwa/
Bernhard Karlgren	/muɑ̆i/	/xwa/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	méi	huā
Expected Cantonese Reflex	mui4	faa1

Noun

梅花

1. plum blossom (Prunus mume)

   Synonym: 南柯 (nánkē)

   • 1976, “梅花 [méihuā, Plum Blossom]”, 劉家昌 [Liu Chia-chang] (lyrics):

     梅花梅花滿天下，越冷它越開花。 [MSC, trad.]
     梅花梅花满天下，越冷它越开花。 [MSC, simp.]

     Méihuā méihuā mǎntiān xià, yuè lěng tā yuè kāihuā. [Pinyin]

     Plum blossoms, plum blossoms, petals filling the sky; the colder it becomes, the more they blossom.

2. wintersweet
3. (card games) club (♣)
4. (Puxian Min, music) alto suona

Synonyms

Dialectal synonyms of 梅花 (“plum blossom”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		梅花
Northeastern Mandarin	Beijing	梅花兒
	Taiwan	梅花
Jilu Mandarin	Jinan	梅花
Central Plains Mandarin	Xi'an	梅花
Southwestern Mandarin	Chengdu	梅花
	Wuhan	梅花
Jianghuai Mandarin	Yangzhou	梅花
	Hefei	梅花
Cantonese	Guangzhou	梅花
	Hong Kong	梅花
	Yangjiang	梅花
Gan	Nanchang	梅花
Hakka	Meixian	梅花
	Miaoli (N. Sixian)	梅花
	Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian)	梅花
	Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu)	梅花
	Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu)	梅花
	Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping)	梅花
	Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an)	梅花
Jin	Taiyuan	梅花
Northern Min	Jian'ou	梅花
Eastern Min	Fuzhou	梅花
Southern Min	Xiamen	梅花
	Chaozhou	梅花
	Haifeng	梅花
Wu	Shanghai	梅花
	Suzhou	梅花
	Wenzhou	梅花
Xiang	Changsha	梅花
	Shuangfeng	梅花

Dialectal synonyms of 梅花 (“club (playing cards)”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		梅花
Northeastern Mandarin	Beijing	草花兒
	Taiwan	梅花
	Chengde	梅花兒
	Chifeng	梅花, 草花
	Hulunbuir (Hailar)	草花兒
	Heihe	梅花, 草花
	Qiqihar	梅花, 草花
	Harbin	梅花兒
	Jiamusi	梅花, 草花
	Baicheng	梅花兒, 草花兒
	Changchun	草花兒
	Tonghua	草花兒
	Shenyang	梅花兒, 草花兒
	Jinzhou	梅花兒, 草花兒
Jilu Mandarin	Tianjin	梅花兒
	Tangshan	梅花, 草花
	Cangzhou	梅花兒
	Baoding	梅花兒
	Shijiazhuang	梅花
	Lijin	梅花兒
	Jinan	梅花
Jiaoliao Mandarin	Dalian	草花兒
	Dandong	梅花兒, 草花兒
	Yantai	草花兒
	Yantai (Muping)	草花兒
	Qingdao	草花兒
	Zhucheng	梅花
Central Plains Mandarin	Luoyang	草花兒
	Lingbao	梅花兒
	Jining	梅花兒
	Linfen	梅花兒
	Shangqiu	梅花
	Yuanyang	梅花兒
	Zhengzhou	梅花兒
	Xinyang	梅花兒
	Baihe	梅花
	Xi'an	梅花, 梅花兒
	Baoji	梅花
	Tianshui	梅花
	Xining	梅花
	Xuzhou	梅花兒
	Fuyang	梅花
Lanyin Mandarin	Yinchuan	梅花
	Lanzhou	梅花, 草花
	Dunhuang	梅花
	Hami	梅花
	Ürümqi	梅花, 草花, 草花兒
Southwestern Mandarin	Chengdu	梅花, 梅花兒, 櫻花兒
	Nanchong	梅花
	Dazhou	梅花, 櫻花兒
	Hanyuan	梅花
	Xichang	梅花
	Zigong	梅花, 櫻花
	Chongqing	梅花
	Wuhan	梅花, 梅子
	Yichang	梅花
	Xiangyang	梅花
	Tianmen	梅花
	Guiyang	梅花
	Zunyi	梅花兒
	Bijie	梅花
	Liping	梅花
	Zhaotong	梅花
	Dali	梅花
	Kunming	梅花
	Mengzi	細葉兒
	Guilin	梅花
	Liuzhou	梅花
	Jishou	梅花
	Changde	梅花
	Hanzhong	梅花
Jianghuai Mandarin	Nanjing	梅花, 草花
	Yangzhou	梅花, 草花
	Lianyungang	梅花
	Lianshui	草花
	Nantong	梅花, 草花
	Anqing	梅花
	Wuhu	梅花
	Hefei	草花
	Hong'an	梅花
Cantonese	Guangzhou	梅花
	Hong Kong	梅花
	Taishan	梅花
	Wuzhou	梅花
	Yulin	梅花
Gan	Pingxiang	梅花, 狗腳跡
Hakka	Yudu	梅花
Huizhou	Jixi	草花, 梅花
	Shexian	梅花
Jin	Taiyuan	梅花兒, 梅花
	Pingyao	梅花兒
	Yangyuan	梅花兒
	Datong	梅花兒
	Xinzhou	梅花兒, 梅子
	Lüliang (Lishi)	梅花兒
	Changzhi	梅花兒
	Linhe	梅花兒
	Jining	梅花
	Hohhot	梅花兒
	Erenhot	梅花兒
	Pingshan	梅花
	Zhangjiakou	梅花兒
	Handan	梅花, 草花
	Linzhou	梅花兒
	Suide	梅花兒
Southern Min	Xiamen	梅花
	Penang (Hokkien)	棉花
	Shantou	梅花
	Haifeng	梅花
Puxian Min	Putian	梅花, 草花
	Xianyou	梅花, 草花
Southern Pinghua	Nanning (Tingzi)	梅花
Wu	Shanghai	草花
	Shanghai (Chongming)	草花, 草頭
	Suzhou	草花, 金花菜
	Danyang	梅花, 草花
	Hangzhou	草花
	Ningbo	草子
	Wenzhou	草花
	Jinhua	梅花
	Jinhua (Tangxi)	草花
Xiang	Changsha	梅花

Proper noun

梅花

1. (～鎮) Meihua (a town in Changle district, Fuzhou, Fujian, China)

See also

Suits in Mandarin · 花色 (huāsè) (layout · text)
紅心 / 红心 (hóngxīn), 紅桃 / 红桃 (hóngtáo)	方塊 / 方块 (fāngkuài)	黑桃 (hēitáo)	梅花 (méihuā)

Suits in Cantonese · 花色 (faa1 sik1) (layout · text)
紅心 / 红心 (hung4 sam1)	階磚 / 阶砖 (gaai1 zyun1)	葵扇 (kwai4 sin3)	梅花 (mui4 faa1)

References

• 小川尚義 (OGAWA Naoyoshi), editor (1931–1932), “梅花”, in 臺日大辭典 [Taiwanese-Japanese Dictionary]‎^[1] (overall work in Hokkien and Japanese), Taihoku: Government-General of Taiwan, →OCLC, page 920
• 小川尚義 (OGAWA Naoyoshi), editor (1931–1932), “梅花”, in 臺日大辭典 [Taiwanese-Japanese Dictionary]‎^[2] (overall work in Hokkien and Japanese), Taihoku: Government-General of Taiwan, →OCLC, page 850
• 莆田市政协文化文史和学习委员会 [Culture, History and Learning Committee of Putian CPPCC], editor (2021), “梅花”, in 莆仙方言大词典 [Comprehensive Dictionary of Puxian Dialect] (overall work in Mandarin and Puxian Min), Xiamen University Press, →ISBN, page 67.

Japanese

Kanji in this term
梅	花
ばい Grade: 4	か Grade: 1
on'yomi

Alternative spelling
梅花 (kyūjitai)

Etymology

From Chinese 梅花 (méihuā).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) ばいか [báꜜìkà] (Atamadaka – [1])
• IPA^(key): [ba̠ika̠]

Noun

梅(ばい)花(か) • (baika) ^{←ばいくわ (baikwa)?}

1. a plum blossom
2. abbreviation of 梅花の油 (“hair tonic with a plum blossom scent”)
3. abbreviation of 梅花方 (“incense with an aroma similar to plum blossom”)

Derived terms

• 梅花藻(バイカモ) (baikamo)