木 means “tree”

き · ki

Also: wood

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading): き, こ-
On'yomi (Chinese reading): ボク, モク

JLPT N5 · Taught in grade 1 · 4 strokes

The story

Ancient cedar trees stand as silent guardians of Japan's sacred shrines, roots deep in tradition.

Building block for countless other kanji

Where it comes from

Pictographic (象形文字): A tree with trunk, branches above, and roots below.

The ancient Chinese drew a tree exactly as you'd expect: a vertical trunk with branches reaching up to the sky and roots stretching into the earth. Over 3,000 years, the drawing was simplified into the clean 4-stroke character we use today.

To remember it: See the trunk (|), branches (一), and two roots (ノ and ＼). It's still a tree!

Its parts

木 Tree · Entire character

A pictograph of a tree with branches above and roots below

Words with 木

草木 (くさき, kusaki): plants and trees

Example sentences

木の下で休みましょう。 Let's rest under the tree.
この木はとても大きいです。 This tree is very big.
公園に木がたくさんあります。 There are many trees in the park.

Kanji that look like 木

本 (book / origin): 本 has an extra horizontal line at the base of the tree
林 (grove): 林 is two 木 side by side: a small grove of trees
森 (forest): 森 stacks three 木: a full dense forest

More from Nature's Poetry

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