木
木 — Tree
tree, wood
On’yomiボク (boku)
On’yomiモク (moku)
Kun’yomiき (ki)
Kun’yomiこ- (ko)
Stroke order (4 strokes)
Watch the strokes draw themselves in the correct order — numbers mark where each stroke starts. Diagram from KanjiVG (CC BY-SA).
Common words using 木
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 木 | き ki | tree; shrub; bush |
| 青木 | あおき aoki | Japanese laurel (Aucuba japonica); spotted laurel; lush, green tree |
| 木造 | もくぞう mokuzou | wooden; made of wood; wooden construction |
| 土木 | どぼく doboku | engineering works; civil engineering; public works |
| 木材 | もくざい mokuzai | lumber; timber; wood |
| 荒木 | あらき araki | logs in bark; rough wood; unseasoned timber |
Study notes
木 is a JLPT N5 kanji written with 4 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 1), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #317 of the 2,500 most frequent kanji in newspapers. On’yomi (音読み) are Chinese-derived readings mostly used in compound words; kun’yomi (訓読み) are native Japanese readings, with any highlighted part written in hiragana after the kanji (okurigana).
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