Translation guide
The English word 'geranium' can refer to two different plants in Japanese: the common garden plant (Pelargonium) and the hardy wild plant (Geranium). This guide helps you choose the right word depending on which plant you mean.
The popular flowering plant often grown in pots or gardens, with rounded leaves and clusters of red, pink, or white flowers.
The most common and widely understood word for the garden geranium. It is a loanword from English and used in everyday conversation.
I have geraniums on my balcony.
The traditional Japanese name for Pelargonium. It is rarely used in daily life and mainly appears in botanical contexts or older literature.
The geranium (Pelargonium) is native to South Africa.
The perennial wild plant with delicate flowers and deeply cut leaves, often called 'cranesbill' in English.
The standard Japanese name for plants of the genus Geranium. It is used in gardening and botanical contexts.
Cranesbill geraniums are blooming in the garden.
A loanword from the botanical Latin name, sometimes used by gardeners to distinguish true Geranium from Pelargonium. Less common than フウロソウ.
In English, 'geranium' is ambiguous. In Japanese, ゼラニウム almost always means the common potted plant (Pelargonium), while フウロソウ means the wild perennial (Geranium). If you are unsure which plant is meant, ゼラニウム is the safer choice for everyday conversation.
Is that red flower a geranium (Pelargonium) or a cranesbill (Geranium)?
This geranium (Geranium) is cold-hardy.