Let’s find out the meanings of frequently used flowers in K-dramas that you may not know!
Flowers have always had meaning in fiction and are often significant in any story. If you are a long time K-dramas fan, you probably know that flowers are used as a symbol to convey love, friendship, confession or proposal, separation or reunion.
The language of flowers is known as a popular metaphor/narrative device that speaks louder than words and sometimes even guides the plot. Below are the meanings of 5 flowers that are frequently used as symbols in K-dramas.
1. Cherry Blossom
When it comes to the language of flowers, cherry blossoms have multiple meanings. The general meaning of cherry blossoms is purity and ephemeral beauty, in K-dramas, they symbolize the beginning of love.
In Goblin, for example, Ji Eun Tak (Kim Go Eun) tells Kim Shin (Gong Yoo) that if one comes across a falling cherry blossom, their first love will come true. They are also commonly used to denote the transitory and inspire one to capture the moment. Cherry blossoms are the most popular flowers in Korean dramas. Besides Goblin, this flower also appeared in Nevertheless, Doom At Your Service, etc.
2. Delphinium
Delphinium appears in quite a few dramas and conveys a special meaning each time. The most memorable example is when Lee Gon overcomes many difficulties to bring back his lover Jeong Tae Eul (Kim Go Eun) a beautiful bouquet of blue delphinium in The King: Eternal Monarch.
In the language of flowers, delphinium means “I will make you happy”. In a broader sense, it signifies a strong bond of love. In episode 11 of Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol (2020), Cha Eun Seok (Kim Joo Hun) gives Goo Ra Ra (Go Ara) a bouquet of delphinium and asks her to find out its meaning.
In episode 12, he gave Ra Ra another bouquet of flowers and she replied: “I will make you happy”.
3. Camellia
In Korea, camellia symbolizes faithfulness, long-lasting love, and loyalty. It can be understood as “I love you more than anyone else” in drama language. In addition, camellia also represents patience, sympathy and strength.
When Oh Joo In (Nana) and Han Bi Soo (Lee Min Ki) takes Joo In’s mother, who has a memory loss, to the Orangerie garden in episode 4 of the drama “Oh My Ladylord” (2014), she immediately remembers her past memories after seeing a camellia bush.
“Don’t you remember these camellias? You gave me one on our first date. It means ‘I love you more than anyone else’”, she told Bi Soo, whom she mistook for her late husband.
“Itaewon Class” Soo Ah (Kwon Na Ra) explains the camellia in her own way, making this flower become the symbol of her love. Meanwhile, in “When the Camellia Blooms”, the blooming of camellias represents the process of Dong Baek (Gong Hyo Jin) realizing her own value.
4. Edelweiss
Like how Kim Min Chul (Choi Moo Sung) in “Prison Playbook” explains, edelweiss indicates bravery. The meaning of this flower is related to a word found in Japanese floriography that means bravery and power.
In “Crash Landing on You”, this flower stands for eternal love, patience, passion, and Switzerland, where Yoon Se Ri (Son Ye Jin) and Ri Jeong Hyuk (Hyun Bin) meet each other for the first time.
Since it is not easy to hold an edelweiss, this flower also means love that is strong enough to overcome challenges.
5. Dahlias
Dahlia represents inner power, faithfulness, elegance and kindness. However, in “Move to Heaven”, Geu Ru (Tang Jun Sang) explained to uncle Sang Gu (Lee Je Hoon) a sweeter meaning of this flower, saying “I’m glad that I can understand your heart”. Dahlia is a perfect gift to wish someone, who is about to turn a new page in their life, a great journey.
“These are dahlias”, Park Do Gyeom (Seo Ji Hoon) talked about this kind of flowers with Seo Hyun Joo (Hwang Jung Eum) in the 14th episode of “Men Are Men” (2020). He said, “Do you know what it represents? It means ‘your love makes me feel happy’”.
Although Do Gyeom couldn’t win the heart of the girl he loves, he still wishes all the best for her.
