木 kanji: meaning, readings and stroke order
木 means “tree, wood”. It is written with 4 strokes and is a JLPT N5 kanji.
On’yomi: ボク (boku), モク (moku). Kun’yomi: き (ki), こ (ko).
How to write 木 (stroke order)
Write 木 in 4 strokes, following the numbers. Each small box adds one stroke; the red line is the stroke to draw.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
General rules: top before bottom, left before right, horizontal before a vertical that crosses it, and a closing bottom stroke last. Writing in the right order makes handwriting readable and helps you count strokes when you look a kanji up.
Practice writing 木
Trace 木 over the faint model with your finger or mouse, following the stroke order above. Turn the model off to write it from memory.
Readings of 木
| On’yomi (Chinese reading) | ボク (boku)モク (moku) |
|---|---|
| Kun’yomi (Japanese reading) | き (ki)こ (ko) |
The on’yomi is usually used in compound words, the kun’yomi when 木 stands alone or is followed by hiragana. A dot (.) marks where the hiragana ending starts.
Example words with 木
| Word | Reading | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 木 | き ki | tree | |
| 木曜日 | もくようび mokuyoubi | Thursday |
木 (ki) means “tree”.
FAQ
What does 木 mean in Japanese?
木 means “tree, wood”. Common words with it are 木 (ki, “tree”) and 木曜日 (mokuyoubi, “Thursday”).
How many strokes does 木 have?
木 has 4 strokes. Follow the stroke-order diagram on this page from stroke 1 to 4.
How do you read 木?
The on’yomi is ボク (boku), モク (moku) and the kun’yomi is き (ki), こ (ko). Which one is used depends on the word.
Is 木 on the JLPT N5?
Yes. 木 is kanji number 19 of the 101 N5 kanji on this site.