春(はる)の七草(ななくさ)

はるのななくさ
noun
seven spring herbs
culture
1. seven spring herbs; seven herbs of spring
A set of seven edible wild herbs traditionally eaten in a rice porridge on January 7th. The seven herbs are: seri (water dropwort), nazuna (shepherd's purse), gogyo (cudweed), hakobera (chickweed), hotokenoza (henbit), suzuna (turnip), and suzushiro (daikon radish).
一月(いちがつ)七日(なのか)に春(はる)の七草(ななくさ)を食(た)べる。
We eat the seven spring herbs on January 7th.
スーパーで春(はる)の七草(ななくさ)のセットを買(か)ってきた。
I bought a set of seven spring herbs at the supermarket.
正月(しょうがつ)の食(た)べ過(す)ぎで疲(つか)れた胃(い)を休(やす)めるために、春(はる)の七草(ななくさ)を入(い)れた七草粥(ななくさがゆ)を作(つく)った。
I made seven-herb porridge with the spring herbs to rest my stomach, which was tired from overeating during New Year's.

A deeply rooted New Year tradition in Japan. On January 7th (人日(じんじつ)の節句(せっく)), families prepare 七草粥(ななくさがゆ) (seven-herb rice porridge) using these seven herbs. The custom is believed to ward off illness, bring good fortune for the year, and give the stomach a rest after rich New Year foods.

The seven herbs

  • 芹(せり): water dropwort
  • 薺(なずな): shepherd's purse
  • 御形(ごぎょう): cudweed
  • 繁縷(はこべら): chickweed
  • 仏の座(ほとけのざ): henbit
  • 菘(すずな): turnip
  • 蘿蔔(すずしろ): daikon radish

Common collocations

Cultural note

Supermarkets across Japan sell pre-packaged sets of the seven herbs every January. There is also 秋(あき)の七草(ななくさ) (seven autumn herbs), but those are traditionally for viewing, not eating.

general
Added 2026.5.2 22:35 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02
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