The Meaning Of Flowers In K-Dramas: 5 Symbols You Need To Know

Flowers have always been meaningful in fiction and often take up considerable significance in any narrative. If you have been watching K-Dramas for a while now, you'll know that a commonly used symbol for conveying love, friendship, confessions or proposals, separation or reunion, and much more is flowers. As a matter of fact, the language of flowers is a popular metaphor/narrative device that speaks louder than words and at times, even drives the plot.

If you're a new K-Drama fan, you must have noticed the motif of flowers popping up every now and then, especially in romance dramas. Here are the meanings of 5 flowers that are frequently used as symbols in K-Dramas!

 

1. Cherry Blossoms

When it comes to the language of flowers, cherry blossoms have a multifaceted nature. While the general meaning of cherry blossoms is purity and ephemeral beauty, in K-Dramas, they stand for the beginning of love. In "Goblin", for example, Ji EunTak (Kim GoEun) tells Kim Shin (Gong Yoo) that if you catch a falling cherry blossom, your first love will come true. They're also often used to denote transience and as such, inspire one to seize the moment.  Cherry blossoms are the most common flower to appear in K-Dramas. You might have seen them in "Nevertheless,", "Doom At Your Service" and more.

 

2. Delphinium

Delphinium makes an appearance in a number of K-Dramas and imparts a special meaning each time. The most popular instance of the same is in "The King: Eternal Monarch" where Lee Gon (Lee MinHo) crosses the universe to bring Jeong TaeEul (Kim GoEun) flowers. In the language of flowers, delphiniums mean "I will make you happy". In a wider sense, it signifies a strong bond of love.

 

3. Camellia

In South Korea, camellias stand for faithfulness, lasting love, and loyalty. In K-Dramas, a common interpretation is "I love you more than anyone else". At the same time, it also signifies patience, understanding, and strength. In "Itaewon Class", SooAh (Kwon Nara) interprets the meaning in her own way, turning it into an emblem of self-love. In "When The Camellia Blooms", the eponymous blooming of camellia flowers signifies the gentle and gradual process of DongBaek (Gong HyoJin) realizing her self-worth.

 

4. Edelweiss

The edelweiss flower stands for courage, as we have learned from Kim MinChul (Choi MooSung) in "Prison Playbook". The flower took on a prominent role in the K-Drama "Crash Landing On You", where it denoted patience, devotion and also Switzerland where Yoon SeRi (Son YeJin) and Ri JeongHyuk (Hyun Bin) first meet. It is also the national flower of Switzerland. In another interpretation, the flower symbolizes immeasurable love that conquers all difficulties because it is rather challenging to get hold of an edelweiss flower.

 

5. Dahlia

Dahlias symbolize inner strength, honesty, grace, and kindness. However, they take a sweeter meaning in "Move To Heaven", when GeuRu (Tang JunSang) teaches SangGu (Lee JeHoon) about dahlias and their meaning: "I'm happy to know about your heart". Dahlias are perfect for wishing someone well on a new journey or as they stand before a grand change, opening up a new chapter in their lives.

Do you know the meaning of your favourite flower? Let us know in the comments down below!