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One of the best Japanese Kanji dictionary.
The kanji most commonly used for "Jasmine" are 茉、莉.
茉
Jasmine in kanji is a pair: 茉莉 (matsuri) — two characters that exist almost solely to spell this flower, both wearing the grass crown 艹. Jasmine tea is 茉莉花茶 in the Chinese manner; everyday Japanese usually says ジャスミン in katakana, which leaves 茉莉 as the elegant, literary spelling.
That rarity made both characters treasures of the name registry. 莉 in particular is among the most popular girls’ name kanji of recent decades — Riko (莉子), Yuri (友莉), Airi (愛莉) — chosen for its soft ri sound and its scent of jasmine. 茉 supplies Mari (茉莉), Mao (茉央) and more. Both are Jinmeiyō characters: approved for names, and used for little else.
A flower so foreign it needed imported characters, which then became some of Japan’s best-loved name elements — 茉莉 is a small story of how the writing system adopts what it loves.
茉莉 as a pair is the proper spelling of jasmine — delicate, rare, and perfumed with name associations rather than any negative sense. A single 莉 or 茉 alone reads as a name fragment, not a word; use both characters together if you mean the flower.
What is Onyomi?
Onyomi, also known as the "Sino-Japanese reading," is one of the two main reading systems for kanji characters in Japanese. It refers to the reading of a kanji character that is derived from the original Chinese pronunciation.
What is Kunyomi?
Kunyomi, also known as the "native Japanese reading," is one of the two main reading systems for kanji characters in Japanese. It refers to the reading of a kanji character that is based on the native Japanese pronunciation. Kunyomi readings are often used when a kanji character stands alone or is followed by hiragana, as in verbs and adjectives. Mastering both kunyomi and onyomi is crucial for understanding and using kanji effectively in the Japanese language.
What is Radical?
A radical, also known as "bushu" in Japanese, is a fundamental component of kanji characters. Radicals are the building blocks of kanji and are used to categorize and organize them in dictionaries. There are 214 traditional radicals, each with its own meaning, which often provides a clue to the meaning of the kanji character it forms.
What is strokes?
Stroke count, or "kakusuu" in Japanese, refers to the number of individual brushstrokes required to write a kanji character. Each kanji has a specific stroke order and stroke count, which are essential for writing the character correctly and legibly. Understanding and following the correct stroke order not only ensures proper balance and aesthetics but also makes writing more efficient and fluid.