カキツバタ

か

き

つ

ば

た

Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

Meanings

1

noun

rabbitear iris; Iris laevigata

usually written using kana alone

A species of iris native to Japan, often found in shallow water or wetlands. The name is also used in poetry and art.

カキツバタは湿しっ地ちに咲さく美うつくしい花はなです。

The rabbitear iris is a beautiful flower that blooms in wetlands.

庭にわの池いけのそばにカキツバタを植うえた。

I planted rabbitear irises by the pond in my garden.

Expressions

いずれ菖蒲あやめか杜若かきつばたboth are equally excellent; hard to choose between two beautiful things

Kanji

杜woods, grove
若young, if, perhaps
燕swallow (bird)
子child, sign of the rat, 11PM-1AM
花flower

Related words

アヤメ
アヤメ (Iris sanguinea) is another iris species; it typically grows in drier ground, while カキツバタ prefers wet habitats.
ハナショウブ
ハナショウブ (Iris ensata) is a cultivated iris often seen in gardens; it has a more upright flower form compared to カキツバタ.

Written forms

カキツバタUsage25%
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling is common for this plant name; usually written in kana.
かきつばたUsage34%
Hiragana spelling, also common.
杜若かきつばたUsage32%
Kanji form; rarely used in modern writing.
燕子花かきつばたUsage9%
Kanji form; rarely used in modern writing.

Etymology

The name カキツバタ is of native Japanese origin. The kanji forms 杜若 and 燕子花 are borrowed from Chinese, where they originally referred to different plants. The exact derivation of the Japanese name is uncertain.