Sakura: the cherry blossom pattern
Make a Sakura wallpaper in your colors
At a glance
| Japanese name | 桜 (さくら, Sakura) |
|---|---|
| Motif | Cherry blossoms |
| Wish it carries | Beauty and new beginnings |
| Season | Spring (March–April) |
| Where you see it | Spring kimono, school and work starts, sweets |
What it looks like
In this pattern five-petaled cherry blossoms are scattered across the surface at different sizes and angles. Each petal has a small notch at the tip, which is the easiest way to tell sakura from other flowers.
History
Cherry blossoms have been loved in Japan for more than a thousand years. Flower viewing, or hanami, was enjoyed by the court in the Heian period and later spread to everyone. Today the opening of the blossoms is tracked across the country each spring.
What it means
Sakura bloom brightly for only a week or two before the petals fall. They stand for beauty, new beginnings and the value of the present moment. Because the Japanese school and business year starts in April, the flower is also tied to fresh starts.
How it is drawn
Each flower has five petals with a small notch at the tip and a circle in the middle. The flowers are placed at random but never overlap, and each is turned to a random angle. The layout of the flowers changes with the size of the image.
Ways to use it
Pink and plum is the obvious choice for spring. Indigo with cream flowers looks like a night garden. Green and white is fresh and light.
- Open the maker with Sakura already selected.
- Pick one of the color sets, or choose your own ground and line colors.
- Choose a size: phone, desktop, video call, square or A4 print.
- Download it as a PNG, or as an SVG if you want to edit or print it at any size.
Sakura and 13 other patterns are in our coloring book, with the meaning behind every design.
See the coloring book on Amazon