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: sakura ( def ).

   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

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

Hanami — flower viewing — is an annual public celebration in Japan, one that people have been enjoying for centuries.

From Washington Post