Meaning
咲 means to bloom — specifically the moment a flower opens its petals and reveals itself. It appears almost exclusively in the verb 咲く (さく). Cherry blossoms along a riverbank, roses in midsummer, chrysanthemums in the autumn chill — 咲く covers them all, naming that brief instant when a bud becomes a flower.
One feature sets this kanji apart from almost every other: it is a 国字 (kokuji), invented in Japan rather than imported from China. Most kanji arrived via Chinese texts over many centuries. 咲 did not. Japanese writers created it, which is why it has no standard on'yomi reading.
Visually, 咲 combines 口 (mouth) on the lower-left with a component that closely resembles the bottom half of 笑 (to laugh). That similarity is intentional. In classical Japanese texts, 咲 and 笑 were used interchangeably — both could mean "to smile" or "to laugh." Over time the two drifted apart: 笑 kept the human meaning, while 咲 shifted to flowers "smiling" open. The image of a bloom as a natural smile runs deep in Japanese poetry and seasonal writing.
咲 has 9 strokes and is taught at high school level (grade 8). Its radical is 口 (mouth, くち) — fitting for a character about opening.
Readings
On'yomi (音読み) — Chinese-derived readings
Since 咲 is a kokuji, it has no standard on'yomi. Some dictionaries list ショウ (Shō) as a rare classical reading, borrowed by analogy from 笑 (ショウ, laughter). This reading almost never appears in modern Japanese. For JLPT N2, focus entirely on the kun'yomi.
Without a productive on'yomi, 咲 forms no standard Sino-Japanese compounds (熟語) — a reliable sign of its kokuji status.
Kun'yomi (訓読み) — Native Japanese readings
The kun'yomi さ.く (sa.ku) is the only reading you need. It is a Group 1 (godan) verb conjugating on く. The dot in さ.く marks the split between stem (さ) and okurigana (く), the suffix that changes with conjugation.
- 咲く (saku) — to bloom (base form)
- 咲いた (saita) — bloomed (past)
- 咲かない (sakanai) — does not bloom (negative)
Common Words & Compounds
Because 咲 is a kokuji, compounds are built from the kun'yomi さく rather than the usual kanji-kanji pattern. These are the expressions you'll encounter most often.
Blooming actions and states:
- 咲く (saku) — to bloom
- 咲き誇る (saki hokoru) — to bloom in full glory
- 咲き乱れる (saki midareru) — to bloom in wild profusion
- 咲き始める (saki hajimeru) — to begin blooming
- 咲き続ける (saki tsuzukeru) — to keep blooming
- 咲き揃う (saki sorou) — to bloom all at once
Nature and seasonal expressions:
- 花が咲く (hana ga saku) — flowers bloom
- 桜が咲く (sakura ga saku) — cherry blossoms bloom
- 春に咲く花 (haru ni saku hana) — flowers that bloom in spring
- 満開に咲く (mankai ni saku) — to be in full bloom
Figurative expressions:
- 笑顔が咲く (egao ga saku) — smiles bloom (poetic; describes a radiant, open smile)
- 夢が咲く (yume ga saku) — dreams bloom (common in song lyrics and literature)
Example Sentences
公園の桜がきれいに咲いています。
Kōen no sakura ga kirei ni saite imasu.
The cherry blossoms in the park are blooming beautifully.
春になると、いろいろな花が咲きます。
Haru ni naru to, iroiro na hana ga sakimasu.
When spring comes, all kinds of flowers bloom.
この薔薇はいつ咲きますか？
Kono bara wa itsu sakimasu ka?
When will this rose bloom?
庭に植えた花がようやく咲き始めた。
Niwa ni ueta hana ga yōyaku saki hajimeta.
The flowers I planted in the garden have finally started to bloom.
山の斜面には野花が咲き乱れていた。
Yama no shamen ni wa nohana ga saki midarete ita.
Wildflowers were blooming in profusion across the mountain slope.
この地域では梅が桜より先に咲く。
Kono chiiki de wa ume ga sakura yori saki ni saku.
In this region, plum blossoms open before cherry blossoms.
彼女の笑顔は花が咲くように明るかった。
Kanojo no egao wa hana ga saku yō ni akarukatta.
Her smile was as bright as a flower in bloom.
桜が満開に咲いている間は、公園がとても混む。
Sakura ga mankai ni saite iru aida wa, kōen ga totemo komu.
While the cherry blossoms are in full bloom, the park gets very crowded.
何年もかけて育てた蘭がついに咲き誇った。
Nannen mo kakete sodateta ran ga tsui ni saki hokotta.
The orchid I had tended for years finally bloomed in full glory.
厳しい冬を越えて咲く花は、より美しく見える。
Kibishii fuyu wo koete saku hana wa, yori utsukushiku mieru.
Flowers that survive a harsh winter and bloom look all the more beautiful for it.
Memory Tip
Picture a flower opening its mouth (口) and grinning. The left side is 口 (mouth); the right side echoes 笑 (to laugh or smile). Think of a flower cracking a wide, open smile on a warm spring morning — that grinning image is 咲く. The link is real: in old Japanese texts, 咲 and 笑 were the same character. Humans kept 笑 for laughing; flowers kept 咲 for blooming. Every flower you see in bloom is, in some sense, smiling — and that smile is 咲.