花より団子

Japanese

Kanji in this term
花	団	子
はな Grade: 1	だん Grade: 5	こ > ご Grade: 1

Alternative spelling
花より團子 (kyūjitai)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ha̠na̠ jo̞ɾʲi dã̠ŋɡo̞]

Proverb

花(はな)より団(だん)子(ご) • (hana yori dango) 

1. (idiomatic): "dango instead of flowers", substance over form → indicating a preference for the practical over the purely aesthetic, preferring dango (which are tasty and nutritious) rather than flowers (which are merely decorative)

Usage notes

Although this is a well-known metaphor, it is often used literally and in puns without directly signifying the metaphoric meaning.