Always deemed inferior to her elder sister, the strong-willed yet aimless Chihaya Ayase has no dream of her own. In contrast to her, Taichi Mashima, the son of a surgeon, is gifted yet insecure as he is burdened by the heavy expectations of his strict mother, who wants him to be perfect in everything. However, the lives of Chihaya and Taichi soon change as they encounter Arata Wataya, the new transfer student in their class.

Inspired by Arata's dream to become the best at competitive karuta—a card game based on the classic anthology of one hundred Japanese poets—Chihaya quickly falls in love with the game. Refusing to lose to the talented Arata, the prideful Taichi joins along and immerses himself in the game, aiming to one day surpass his fated rival. The three friends spend their childhood practicing karuta everyday, until certain circumstances force them to part with each other.

A few years later, now in high school, the trio finds themselves reunited through the world of competitive karuta. Alongside their newfound comrades and rivals, they embark on a journey of self-discovery, friendship, and romance.

Chihayafuru won the second Manga Taisho award in 2009 and the 35th Kodansha Manga Award in the shoujo manga category in 2011. In 2012, the manga was selected as part of the Jury Recommended Works list in the Manga category at the 16th Japan Media Arts Festival. As of December 2022, the series has sold over 28 million copies.

Kodansha published the first three volumes of Chihayafuru in two English/Japanese volumes under their Kodansha Bilingual Comics line on December 22, 2011, and February 24, 2012, respectively. They consist of the first 17 chapters. The series was published digitally in English by Kodansha USA from February 14, 2017, to June 3, 2025. The manga has been published in Italian by RW EDIZIONI; in French by Pika Édition; and in Spanish by ECC Ediciones.

Three Japanese live-action films based on the series have been released. The first, titled Chihayafuru: Kaminoku, opened in Japanese cinemas on March 19, 2016, followed by a second film, titled Shimonoku, on April 29, 2016. The third film, titled Musubi, was released on March 17, 2018.