日の丸

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 日の丸, read ひのまる, means the Japanese flag or a design resembling its red disc on white.
• Basic usage: It can be an actual historical flag or the flag-like arrangement of a pickled plum centered on white rice.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• The national flag and a resembling design
  • It can denote the Japanese flag itself or a rice-and-pickled-plum arrangement resembling its design. The second example is not an actual flag.