Translation guide
The material from trees, used for building, burning, or making things. Also refers to a small forested area.
The hard fibrous substance that makes up the trunk and branches of a tree, used for construction, fuel, or crafting.
The most common word for wood as a material. Can also mean 'tree' in some contexts, but context usually makes it clear.
この机は木でできています。
This desk is made of wood.
Cut wood to make firewood.
Refers specifically to wood as a building material or lumber. More formal and technical than 木.
This house uses domestically produced wood.
Lumber or timber, often cut and prepared for construction. Similar to 木材 but more common in spoken contexts.
A truck carrying lumber.
Wood used as fuel for fires.
A small area of trees, smaller than a forest.
Generally means 'forest', but can be used for a wood or grove, especially when contrasted with larger forests. Often implies a natural, dense area.
There is a small wood behind the house.
A grove or small wood, often planted or managed. Smaller and less wild than 森.
A type of golf club originally made of wood.
Loanword from English, used in golf terminology.
He hit with a 3-wood.
The word 木 can mean both 'tree' and 'wood'. Context usually clarifies: if you say 木を切る (ki o kiru), it means 'cut a tree' or 'cut wood'. To be specific, use 木材 (mokuzai) for wood as material and 木 (ki) or 樹木 (jumoku) for living trees.
森 (mori) is a larger, denser, more natural forest, often with a spiritual or wild connotation. 林 (hayashi) is a smaller, often cultivated grove or wood. For a small wood near a house, 林 or 小さな森 is appropriate.
Gather firewood in the mountains.
Take a walk in the bamboo grove.
A copse or thicket of mixed trees, often near villages. Used for firewood or charcoal making.
I caught a stag beetle in the copse.