木

JLPT N5

Tree, wood

Readings

On’yomi: モク, ボク (moku, boku)

Kun’yomi: き (ki)

き (ki) – tree, wood

Structure

Strokes: 4

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Detailed Explanation

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Mnemonic

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Etymology

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Visual Tip

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Vocabulary

木

き

tree

木曜日

もくようび

Thursday

木材

もくざい

lumber

木陰

こかげ

shade of a tree

木の葉

このは

tree leaves

Example Sentences

庭に木があります。

にわにきがあります。

There is a tree in the garden.

木曜日に会います。

もくようびにあいます。

I will meet on Thursday.

木材を使います。

もくざいをつかいます。

I use lumber.

木陰で休みます。

こかげでやすみます。

I rest in the shade.

木の葉が落ちます。

このはがおちます。

Leaves fall from the tree.

Cultural Note

木 (tree / wood) is deeply symbolic in Japan:
1. Nature and Shinto:
o Trees are sacred in Shinto (神木, しんぼく) and often marked with しめ縄 (sacred ropes) at shrines.
2. Woodworking and architecture:
o Traditional Japanese houses, temples, and shrines are made primarily of wood.
o Terms like 木材 (timber) and 木工 (woodworking) are central to daily life and craftsmanship.
3. Days of the week:
o Thursday (木曜, もくよう) literally derives from 木, linking the day to the planet Jupiter and the element wood in the East Asian tradition.
4. Idioms / expressions:
o 木に竹を接ぐ (きにたけをつぐ) → “To graft bamboo onto a tree” → means an unnatural combination.
o 木漏れ日 (こもれび) → sunlight filtering through trees, a poetic term widely used in Japanese literature.