Share this link via
Or copy link
Kanji for Cherry
The kanji most commonly used for "Cherry" are 桜、櫻.
桜
Kanji that mean Cherry
Both characters are the same word. 桜 is the modern standard form and 櫻 the older, fuller one, kept in family names, on shop signs and anywhere a traditional look is wanted. Both are read sakura.
What they name is the tree and its blossom, not the fruit. Japanese cherry varieties are grown for flowers, and the edible cherry is a separate thing: さくらんぼ, written 桜桃 when it is written in characters at all. So 桜 on its own says blossom, spring and the short season the flowers last — never the fruit in a bowl.
The character runs through daily language: 桜色 is the pale pink named after the petals, 夜桜 is blossom viewed at night. Sakura is also one of the most common girls’ names in Japan, which makes 桜 a natural single character for a name and one that no reader has to puzzle over.
Before you use Cherry kanji
桜 is the everyday form and reads cleanly; 櫻 says the same word with an older, more formal feel. Either is safe. Just be aware that neither means the fruit — a Japanese reader sees a flowering tree and the spring season, not a cherry.