The Japanese kanji for tree is 木, read ki on its own and moku or boku in compounds. Four strokes: a trunk, a crossbar for the branches, and two roots spreading at the base. It means both the living tree and the material, wood, and it is the clearest example in the language of how kanji build meaning by stacking.
The Kanji at a Glance
- Character: 木
- On’yomi: モク (moku), ボク (boku)
- Kun’yomi: き (ki), こ (ko)
- Stroke count: 4
- General meaning: tree, wood, timber
- Radical: 木 is itself a radical and one of the most common. It gives 桜 (cherry tree), 松 (pine), 林 (woods), and 校 (school)
Meaning and Nuance
The stacking is the famous part. One 木 is a tree. Two side by side make 林 (hayashi), a wood or grove. Three arranged in a pyramid make 森 (mori), a forest. Together 森林 (shinrin) is forest land, which is where the practice of shinrin-yoku, forest bathing, gets its name.
木 also belongs to the classical 五行 (gogyou) cycle of five phases: wood, fire, earth, metal, water. That is the source of 木曜日 (mokuyoubi), Thursday, so a lone 木 in a date context means Thursday.
Real compounds:
- 木漏れ日 (komorebi): sunlight filtering through leaves, one of the most admired words in Japanese and the subject of its own page, komorebi.
- 並木 (namiki): a row of roadside trees, as in 桜並木, an avenue of cherry trees.
- 木材 (mokuzai): timber, lumber, the material sense.
The cultivated tree has its own long tradition in Japan through bonsai, where a tree is trained over decades into a compressed portrait of an old one.
As a Tattoo
木 is balanced, symmetrical, and only four strokes, which makes it forgiving in almost any placement. The crossbar gives it width, so it sits well horizontally on a collarbone or a wrist and does not need the vertical column that taller characters want.
Mind the one-stroke neighbors. 本 (hon, book or origin) is 木 with a short stroke added across the base. 未 (mi, not yet) and 末 (matsu, end) are the same trunk with a second crossbar, distinguished only by which horizontal line is longer. A sloppy reference or a heavy hand can turn your tree into one of these. Work from clean typeset characters.
Consider 森 for scale. If the feeling is forest rather than a single tree, 森 (mori, 12 strokes) is a striking design: three trees stacked into a triangle, dense and instantly legible. 林 (hayashi, 8 strokes) is the quieter two-tree version.
Check pairings. 木 forms hundreds of ordinary words, including 木刀 (bokutou, a wooden practice sword) and 土木 (doboku, civil engineering), so an added character produces a dictionary word rather than a private phrase.
The character is written identically in Japanese and Chinese. Confirm with a native speaker before you ink.
Try 木 and 森 side by side in the Japanese Tattoo Generator, and read how natural motifs work across the tradition in our guide to japanese tattoo meanings.
Related Kanji
FAQ
What is the kanji for tree?
The kanji for tree is 木, read ki alone and moku or boku in compounds. It has four strokes and means both a tree and wood as a material, as in 木材 (mokuzai, timber).
What is the kanji for forest?
森 (mori) means forest and is written as three 木 characters stacked in a triangle. Two trees side by side give 林 (hayashi), a wood or grove.
Does 木 mean Thursday?
In date contexts, yes. 木曜日 (mokuyoubi) is Thursday, from the five-phase cycle of wood, fire, earth, metal, and water, and calendars shorten it to a single 木.
What kanji looks similar to 木?
本 (hon, book) adds one stroke at the base. 未 (mi, not yet) and 末 (matsu, end) add a second crossbar and differ only in which line is longer. All three are easy to confuse with 木 in a rough sketch.