桜 — “cherry blossom” in Japanese

Grade 5おう, さくら

Radical ⽊ · radical 75 The building block this kanji is filed under

“cherry blossom” in Japanese is 桜, read ou, sakura (おう, さくら). It is a Grade 5 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 5 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 桜の木 (cherry tree).

Try it now

What does 桜 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	桜
Meaning	cherry blossom
Readings	おう, さくら
Grade	Grade 5 (Hard)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	桜の木 (cherry tree)

How to read 桜

桜 is read ou (おう) or sakura (さくら) depending on the word.

Words with 桜

桜前線さくらぜんせん
桜の木

Learn 桜 in real sentences — free

Read stories and news built from only the kanji you already know. KanjiSchool’s path covers all 2,136 Jōyō kanji — 1,018 ready to learn now.

Start free — no credit card →

Kanji read the same way as 桜

Same sound, different character — the classic trap. Compare them side by side:

Read this character in a real sentence

🌸 桜がつなぐ春の文化 Grade 5

Updated: 2026-08-28