开花 meaning in English

kāihuā

to bloom; to blossom; to flower; (fig.) to burst; to split open

HSK 4Traditional 開花11 strokes

Meaning of 开花

Definitions from CC-CEDICT.

kāihuā

to bloom; to blossom; to flower
(fig.) to burst; to split open
(fig.) to burst with joy
(fig.) to spring up everywhere; to flourish

How to use 开花

开花 is mainly used for plants blooming, and figuratively for things bursting open or success spreading everywhere. A common saying is 心里乐开了花 (xīnli lè kāi le huā), "so happy it feels like flowers blooming inside." Example: 春天到了，桃树开花了。(Chūntiān dào le, táoshù kāihuā le.) Spring is here, and the peach trees are blooming.

开花 is literally 开 (kāi) "open" plus 花 (huā) "flower": a flower opening up is blooming. Picture a bud that 开 opens its petals, the same 开 you use in 打开 (dǎkāi) to open something.

Common mistake: Learners often say 花开花 or use 开花 with an object, like 开花玫瑰. The flower should come first as the subject: 玫瑰开花了 (méiguī kāihuā le) or 玫瑰花开了. Also keep both syllables in first tone, kāi and huā, without dropping 花 to a neutral tone.

开花 in example sentences

Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.

过guò两liǎng三sān天tiān就jiù要yào开kāi花huā了le。

The blossoms will be out in a few days.

这zhè些xiē花huā比bǐ别bié的de花huā早zǎo开kāi花huā。

These flowers bloom earlier than others do.

正zhèng在zài开kāi花huā桃táo树shù很hěn美měi。

The budding of the peach tree is very beautiful.

杏xìng树shù正zhèng在zài开kāi花huā。

The almond trees are in bloom.

春chūn季jì的de时shí候hòu，中zhōng国guó北běi边biān很hěn冷lěng，所suǒ以yǐ在zài外wài边biān的de花huā不bù开kāi花huā。

North China is cold in spring, so flowers don't bloom outdoors.

Stroke order for each character

Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.

开 kāi · to open · 4 strokes

花 huā · flower · 7 strokes

Related words

Words that share a character with 开花.

打开	dǎkāi	to open; to show (a ticket)
开玩笑	kāi wánxiào	to play a joke; to make fun of; to joke
开车	kāichē	to drive a car (or train etc); (slang) to post sexual content online; to make a sexual jok
开会	kāihuì	to hold or attend a meeting
离开	líkāi	to depart; to leave
开心	kāixīn	to feel happy; to rejoice
走开	zǒukāi	to leave; to walk away; to beat it; to move aside
分开	fēnkāi	to separate; to part
花园	huāyuán	garden (for flowers, ornamental plants etc); (landscaped) park; yard with decorative plant
开学	kāixué	(of a student) to start school; (of a semester) to begin
开机	kāijī	to start an engine; to boot up (a computer)
开始	kāishǐ	to begin; to start; beginning; start

Questions about 开花

What does 开花 mean?

开花 (kāihuā) means "to bloom; to blossom; to flower; (fig.) to burst; to split open".

How do you write 开花?

开花 is made of 2 characters: 开 (4 strokes), 花 (7 strokes). That is 11 strokes in total.

Is 开花 an HSK word?

Yes. 开花 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.

How is 开花 written in traditional Chinese?

In traditional characters, 开花 is written 開花.

What is the difference between 开花 and 花开?

开花 is a verb phrase meaning "to bloom," and the plant goes before it: 树开花了. 花开 is a subject plus verb, "the flowers open," and sounds more descriptive or poetic, as in 花开了 or 春暖花开.

Can 开花 describe something other than plants?

Yes. It can mean something bursts or splits open, like a steamed bun or a worn shoe, and it can mean something spreads or flourishes. For example, 遍地开花 (biàndì kāihuā) means something springs up everywhere.