How to say "lily" in Japanese

• ゆりCommon
  nounThe ordinary word for the lily flower (Lilium species), used when talking about the plant or its blossoms in gardens, bouquets, or nature. This is usually the word you want, and it is customarily written in kana alone.
  ユリの香かおりが部屋へやに満みちていた。↗

  A smell of lilies filled the room.
• 百合びゃくごう
  nounThis same word refers to the lily as an ingredient in traditional Chinese medicine, a much narrower and less common sense. For the flower itself, this is seldom the word you want.
• リリー
  nounA loanword rendering of 'lily', less common than the native word. It tends to appear in names, brand names, or foreign-flavored contexts rather than in ordinary talk about the flower.
• 小百合さゆり
  nounGlossed 'lily', but this is really best known as a feminine personal name (read Sayuri) rather than a word for the flower. It is seldom the word you want for the plant itself.

Use 「ゆり」 for the flower in everyday contexts; the other three are rarer: 百合 for the medicinal ingredient, 「リリー」 as a loanword name-like rendering, and 小百合 mainly as a personal name.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

• ゆりlily (Lilium spp.)
• 百合びゃくごうlily (as an ingredient in traditional Chinese medicine)
• リリーlily
• 小百合さゆりlily