LESSON NOTES · レッスンノート

N4Lesson notes · Oct 4, 2026

Garden in Japanese: 庭にわ (にわ), 日本庭園にほんていえん, 枯山かれやま水みず, 家庭菜園かていさいえん, and 盆栽ぼんさい

"Garden" or "yard" in Japanese is 庭にわ (にわ). A formal landscaped garden is 庭園ていえん (ていえん), and a traditional Japanese garden is 日本庭園にほんていえん (にほんていえん). A Zen rock garden of raked gravel is 枯山かれやま水みず (かれさんすい), a home vegetable patch is 家庭菜園かていさいえん (かていさいえん), and a botanical garden is 植物園しょくぶつえん (しょくぶつえん).

Gardens are a big part of Japanese culture, from tiny pots on apartment balconies to famous temple gardens. The vocabulary moves from the everyday 庭にわ to the artistic 枯山かれやま水みず and the miniature world of 盆栽ぼんさい. This post covers the words you need to talk about your own garden, visit a famous one, or take up gardening as a hobby.

How do you say "garden" in Japanese?

What does 庭にわ mean?

庭にわ (にわ) is a garden or yard around a house.

うちには小ちいさい庭にわがある。 — We have a small garden. (casual) 庭にわで花はなを育そだてている。 — I grow flowers in the garden. (casual)

For flower words, see flower in Japanese.

What is 庭園ていえん?

庭園ていえん (ていえん) is a formal, landscaped garden, often at temples, castles or historic estates. 日本庭園にほんていえん is a Japanese-style garden with ponds, stones and carefully shaped trees.

日本庭園にほんていえんを散歩さんぽした。 — I took a walk through a Japanese garden. (casual)

What is 枯山かれやま水みず?

枯山かれやま水みず (かれさんすい), "dry mountain water", is a Zen rock garden: raked gravel represents water and stones represent mountains or islands.

お寺てらの枯山かれやま水みずを眺ながめた。 — I gazed at the temple's rock garden. (casual)

For words to praise the view, see Japanese words for beautiful.

How do you talk about gardening?

What is 家庭菜園かていさいえん?

家庭菜園かていさいえん (かていさいえん) is a home vegetable garden.

家庭菜園かていさいえんでトマトを作つくっている。 — I grow tomatoes in my home vegetable garden. (casual)

What do ガーデニング and 庭にわいじり mean?

ガーデニング is gardening as a hobby. 庭にわいじり (にわいじり), "fiddling with the garden", is a casual word for puttering around the garden.

父ちちの趣味しゅみは庭にわいじりです。 — My father's hobby is puttering in the garden. (polite)

What is 盆栽ぼんさい?

盆栽ぼんさい (ぼんさい) is the art of growing miniature trees in pots. It is a word English borrowed from Japanese, and some trees are cared for over many decades.

祖父そふは盆栽ぼんさいを大切たいせつにしている。 — My grandfather takes great care of his bonsai. (casual)

Word Reading Meaning
庭にわ にわ garden, yard
庭園ていえん ていえん landscaped garden
日本庭園にほんていえん にほんていえん Japanese garden
枯山かれやま水みず かれさんすい rock garden
家庭菜園かていさいえん かていさいえん vegetable garden
庭にわいじり にわいじり puttering in the garden
盆栽ぼんさい ぼんさい bonsai
植物園しょくぶつえん しょくぶつえん botanical garden

Beyond the basics

What is 植物園しょくぶつえん?

植物園しょくぶつえん (しょくぶつえん) is a botanical garden, a park full of plants from around the world.

週末しゅうまつに植物園しょくぶつえんに行いった。 — I went to the botanical garden on the weekend. (casual)

What does 水みずやり mean?

水みずやり (みずやり) is watering plants. 水みずをやる is "to water".

毎朝まいあさ、花はなに水みずをやる。 — I water the flowers every morning. (casual)

What is ベランダ菜園さいえん?

ベランダ菜園さいえん (ベランダさいえん) is a balcony garden, popular in apartments with no yard.

ベランダでハーブを育そだてている。 — I'm growing herbs on my balcony. (casual)

Common mistakes

  • Using 庭園ていえん for your own small backyard. Use 庭にわ.
  • Reading 枯山かれやま水みず as こさんすい. It is かれさんすい.
  • Reading 家庭菜園かていさいえん as かていなえん. It is かていさいえん.
  • Calling a botanical garden 庭にわ. It is 植物園しょくぶつえん.

Practice

Try each answer before opening it. Questions 3 and 4 are a pair: a formal garden versus your own garden.

1. Say "We have a small garden."

Show answer

うちには小ちいさい庭にわがある。 — 庭にわ.

2. Say "I grow flowers in the garden."

Show answer

庭にわで花はなを育そだてている。 — 庭にわ.

3. Say "I took a walk through a Japanese garden."

Show answer

日本庭園にほんていえんを散歩さんぽした。 — 日本庭園にほんていえん.

4. Say "I grow tomatoes in my home vegetable garden."

Show answer

家庭菜園かていさいえんでトマトを作つくっている。 — 家庭菜園かていさいえん. This is the pair to question 3.

5. Say "I gazed at the temple's rock garden."

Show answer

お寺てらの枯山かれやま水みずを眺ながめた。 — 枯山かれやま水みず.

6. Say politely, "My father's hobby is puttering in the garden."

Show answer

父ちちの趣味しゅみは庭にわいじりです。 — 庭にわいじり.

7. Say "My grandfather takes great care of his bonsai."

Show answer

祖父そふは盆栽ぼんさいを大切たいせつにしている。 — 盆栽ぼんさい.

8. Say "I went to the botanical garden on the weekend."

Show answer

週末しゅうまつに植物園しょくぶつえんに行いった。 — 植物園しょくぶつえん.

9. Say "I water the flowers every morning."

Show answer

毎朝まいあさ、花はなに水みずをやる。 — 水みずをやる.

10. How do you read 枯山かれやま水みず?

Show answer

かれさんすい — a dry rock garden.

FAQ

How do you say "garden" in Japanese? 庭にわ (にわ).

What is 日本庭園にほんていえん? A traditional Japanese-style garden.

What is 枯山かれやま水みず? A Zen rock garden of raked gravel and stones.

How do you say "vegetable garden"? 家庭菜園かていさいえん (かていさいえん).

What is 植物園しょくぶつえん? A botanical garden.

What does 庭にわいじり mean? Puttering around in the garden.

Vocabulary from this article

Tap the block to select all of it, then copy. In Anki: File → Import, note type Basic, separator Tab — the first column becomes the front, the second the back.

庭	にわ — garden, yard
庭園	ていえん — landscaped garden
日本庭園	にほんていえん — Japanese garden
枯山水	かれさんすい — rock garden
家庭菜園	かていさいえん — vegetable garden
庭いじり	にわいじり — puttering in the garden
盆栽	ぼんさい — bonsai
植物園	しょくぶつえん — botanical garden
水やり	みずやり — watering
育てる	そだてる — to grow, raise

I'm Yuuki, a Japanese teacher based in Tokyo. I've taught on italki as a Top 1% teacher and watched over 1,500 anime. 枯山かれやま水みず is the word learners want before visiting a temple garden, and 庭にわいじり is the gentle, homely word I teach for describing a parent's weekend hobby. For practice with feedback, Book a trial lesson · $13, or try the Japanese practice exercises first.

Sources: the author's own lessons and standard reference dictionaries.

More drills like the ones above, plus a timed JLPT-style mock test: Practice · N4 · Read something at this level: JLPT N4 stories with audio

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