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Kotomora

木

tree, wood

JLPTN5StatusJōyō · grade 1FrequencyTop 500Strokes4

Readings

On'yomi

  • ボク
  • モク

Kun'yomi

  • き
  • こ-

Nanori

  • ぐ
  • も
  • もと

Meaning

木 centers on the living plant and its material: a tree and the wood that comes from it.

Most common words using 木

24 of 774
  • 木き
    N5

    tree; shrub; bush

  • 青木あおき

    Japanese laurel (Aucuba japonica); spotted laurel

  • 木曜日もくようび
    N5

    Thursday

  • 木曜もくよう
    N3

    Thursday

  • 木材もくざい
    N2

    lumber; timber; wood

  • 柏木かしわぎ

    oak tree

  • 木造もくぞう
    N1

    wooden; made of wood; wooden construction

  • 荒木あらき

    logs in bark; rough wood; unseasoned timber; new lumber

  • 土木どぼく
    N1

    engineering works; civil engineering; public works

  • 木製もくせい

    wooden; made of wood

  • 樹木じゅもく
    N1

    tree; trees and shrubs

  • 黒木くろき

    unbarked lumber

  • 並木なみき
    N2

    roadside trees; row of trees

  • 木星もくせい
    N1

    Jupiter (planet)

  • 本木もとき

    original stock

  • 木々きぎ

    (many) trees; every tree; all kinds of trees

  • 木戸きど

    wicket gate; wooden door

  • 大木たいぼく
    N2

    large tree

  • 植木うえき
    N2

    garden plant; garden tree

  • 木の実きのみ

    fruit of a tree; nut; berry

  • 木場きば

    lumberyard

  • 木綿もめん
    N4

    cotton (material)

  • 木工もっこう

    woodworking; woodwork; woodworker

  • 草木くさき
    N1

    plants; vegetation

Explore all words using 木 →

Study

Etymology

木 is a pictograph of a tree, with the central vertical line representing the trunk and the branching strokes representing limbs and roots.

Meaning mnemonic

The vertical stroke is the trunk, the long horizontal stroke is the main branches, and the sweeping lower strokes are the roots. Together they form a tree, and from trees we get wood.

Reading mnemonic

For ボク, imagine a tree trunk shaped like a book: book -> ボク, and the tree's wood becomes pages.