KANAE
020Japanese proverb ことわざ

花より団子

Hana yori dango

“Dumplings over flowers.”

Word for wordDango rather than blossoms.

The meaning

Under the festive cherry trees, some watch the flowers, others the snacks. The proverb smiles at our preference for the useful — and reminds us not to confuse appearance with necessity.

At the origin

Born from hanami picnics, where dango skewers sometimes mattered more than the cherry trees.

The characters

  1. 花 hanaflowers
  2. より yorirather than
  3. 団子

The complete word-by-word reading, in KANAE.

In practice

Facing a choice, ask what truly nourishes rather than what shines.

Themes

In the collections · Kanso

Similar proverbs

  1. 041 The child of a frog is a frog.
  2. 059 Not saying is the flower.
  3. 061 Clothes dress up even a stable hand.
  4. 111 Should we look at blossoms only in full bloom, at the moon only when it is clear?
  5. 115 The neighbor's flowers are redder.

Related expressions

  1. 101 Over the moon, gathering clouds; over blossoms, wind.
  2. 136 Flowers, birds, wind, moon.
  3. 168 Field of rapeseed — the moon in the east, the sun in the west.
  4. 175 Blossoms last seven days.

See also