sakura
Americannoun
-
sakura
plural
-
a tree, especially a cherry tree, that is densely covered with blossoms during its flowering time.
-
the blossom or blossoms of a tree, especially a cherry tree, that is noted for the beauty of its flowering time.
We playfully try to catch the last of the sakura as they fall and float like pink snowflakes into our open hands.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of sakura
First recorded in 1880–85; from Japanese; literally, “cherry tree”
Explanation
Springtime in Japan brings the blooming of the sakura, or cherry blossoms, which are beloved in the country for their scent and beauty. Sakura is the Japanese name for any ornamental cherry tree — that is, one grown for its flowers rather than its fruit — and also for the blossoms of those trees. The varieties common in Japan are sometimes called "Japanese cherry trees" in English. Sitting and enjoying the cherry blossoms during their brief season is an important cultural event for many people in Japan, and the blooms are often pickled and used in cooking.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Inspired by the transient beauty of cherry blossoms, known in Japan as sakura — which is illustrated in their album cover, alongside a dark pegasus — much of the LP also hinges on melodrama.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
Japanese people hold "very special feelings for sakura", said Tokyo resident Akiko Nyman, 48, as she admired flowers in crowded Ueno park in the centre of the capital.
From Barron's ● Mar. 30, 2026
This was the first time F1 has managed to convince Honda, which owns Suzuka, to move the race, and the sakura did not disappoint.
From BBC ● Apr. 6, 2024
And every kind of mochi gets me excited, from the ice-cream-stuffed mochi bites at TJ's to pink sakura mochi wrapped in a cherry blossom leaf.
From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2021
Thus in ways more than one is the sakura the flower of the nation.
From Bushido, the Soul of Japan by Inazo Nitobe
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
