木
TREE・WOODEN
Mnemonic
Imagine a tall trunk with four branches spreading out — two above, two below. Long ago, this character was drawn as a tree covered in leaves or blossoms, so it naturally means TREE.
But there’s a second meaning too: WOODEN. After all, a tree provides wood, so the same character came to stand for both the living tree and the wood it gives.
Example Vocabulary
-
一木（いちぼく） – a single tree
Click to recall: 一 = -
大木（たいぼく） – big tree
Click to recall: 大 = -
木もれ日（こもれび） – sunlight filtering through trees
Click to recall: 日 = -
水木（みずき） – dogwood tree
Click to recall: 水 = -
コカの木（コカのき） – coca tree
It's more than just a tree.
In Japanese, 木 often shows up in natural scenes—from types of trees like コカの木 and 水木, to beautiful sights like 木もれ日, “sunlight through the trees.”
It’s a reminder that 木 means more than just the tree itself; it’s about the feeling trees create. 🌳☀️