花札(はなふだ)

はなふだ
noun
hanafuda; flower cards
cultureleisure
1. hanafuda; flower cards; Japanese playing cards
A traditional Japanese card game using a deck of 48 cards divided into 12 suits, each representing a month of the year and its associated flower or plant.
花札(はなふだ)で遊(あそ)ぶ。
To play hanafuda.
祖父(そふ)に花札(はなふだ)のルールを教(おし)えてもらった。
My grandfather taught me the rules of hanafuda.
正月(しょうがつ)に家族(かぞく)で花札(はなふだ)をするのが毎年(まいとし)の楽(たの)しみだ。
Playing hanafuda with the family at New Year's is something I look forward to every year.

A compound of 花(はな) (flower) and 札(ふだ) (card/tag). The 48-card deck has 12 suits corresponding to the months, each featuring seasonal plants: January (松(まつ), pine), February (梅(うめ), plum), March (桜(さくら), cherry), and so on through December.

Common collocations

Cultural note

Hanafuda has been played in Japan since the Edo period and remains popular as a family game, especially during 正月(しょうがつ) (New Year). The game company Nintendo originally began as a hanafuda manufacturer in 1889. Common game variants include こいこい and 花合(はなあ)わせ.

Related Words

Related: 場札(ばふだ) (table card)
general
Added 2026.4.7 6:23 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02
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