Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 園芸 | engei | [ẽ̞ŋɡe̞ː] (narrow) |
| 庭いじり | niwa-ijiri | |
| ガーデニング | gādeningu | |
| 庭仕事 | niwa-shigoto | |
| 土いじり | tsuchi-ijiri |
What does it mean word for word?
The term 土いじり literally means 'playing with soil'.
Which one should you use?
園芸 is the formal or technical term for gardening or horticulture. In contrast, 庭いじり is a more casual, affectionate way to describe gardening as a hobby, literally meaning 'garden tinkering'. 庭仕事 refers specifically to the labor or tasks involved in maintaining a garden. 土いじり literally means 'playing with soil' and is used to describe the act of gardening in a more tactile, informal sense. Finally, ガーデニング is the katakana loanword from English, often used in the context of modern lifestyle or decorative gardening.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
園芸 is a formal term, whereas 庭いじり and 土いじり are informal. 庭仕事 refers specifically to the labor or tasks involved in maintaining a garden, and ガーデニング is a loanword.
How do you pronounce it?
engei
Did you know?
- Traditional Japanese gardens often use 枯山水 or 'dry landscape' style, which means the 'gardening' involves raking gravel and placing rocks to represent water without using any actual water.
- The word 庭 in 庭いじり originally referred to a courtyard or a place for official ceremonies, reflecting how gardens were historically reserved for the elite and the imperial court.
- Japanese has a specific word 苔 for moss, and in some forms of gardening, cultivating various species of moss is considered a high art form of its own.
Examples in context
- 庭いじりは好き？Do you like gardening?This sentence is useful for asking about someone's hobby using 庭いじり.Tatoeba #8592691 by bunbuku, translation #6079124 by CK
- 庭いじりを少しした。I did a little gardening.This sentence is useful for describing a small amount of activity using 庭いじり.Tatoeba #12829697 by small_snow, translation #12847415 by CK
- 彼女は園芸の入門書を読んでいる。She is reading a manual on gardening.This sentence is useful for describing someone reading a manual about 園芸.Tatoeba #91004 by KK_kaku_, translation #312710 by CK
- 7 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Ren and Misaki are talking about their hobbies.
- 蓮 Ren最近、何かハマっていることはある？Saikin, nanika hamatte iru koto wa aru?Is there anything you've been into lately?
- 美咲 Misaki実は、園芸に興味があるんだ。Jitsu wa, engei ni kyoumi ga arun da.Actually, I'm interested in gardening.
- 蓮 Renへえ、どんな植物を育てたいの？Hee, donna shokubutsu o sodatetai no?Oh, what kind of plants do you want to grow?
- 美咲 Misaki色鮮やかな花をたくさん植えたいな。Irozayaka na hana o takusan uetai na.I want to plant lots of brightly colored flowers.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “gardening” translations and entries 園芸, ガーデニング, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
