hanami

[hah-nah-mee]

noun

Japanese.

1. a seasonal outdoor event or period of time for enjoying the short-lived flowering of certain plants, especially cherry trees.

   For our annual hanami we picnic into the night, with paper lanterns hung on the branches to illuminate the cherry blossoms.

Word History and Origins

Origin of hanami¹

First recorded in 1890–95; from Japanese, from hana “flower” + mi “viewing”

Example Sentences

The tradition of enjoying blossoms between March and May in Japan is known as "hanami", or "flower viewing", and carries deep cultural significance.

From BBC

Hanami Suzuki and Professor Hisashi Kajimura examined the behavior of field mice using seeds from once-in-a-century flowering sasa bamboo plants in central Japan.

From Science Daily

As the Los Angeles-based contemporary artist Kelly Akashi explained in an interview with Artforum, it is central to hanami, the Japanese custom of enjoying the fleeting beauty of the cherry blossoms in springtime — and Akashi’s art practice.

From Seattle Times

In Japan, the ancient tradition of enjoying cherry blossoms is called hanami — “flower viewing.”

From Seattle Times

The president wouldn’t get his hanami, the flower-contemplation ritual the Japanese celebrate every spring.

From New York Times