King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “tree”

Romaji: ki
tree; shrub; bush

In Japanese, tree is , read (ki).

Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.

Meanings

  1. n tree; shrub; bush
  2. n wood; timber
  3. n wooden clappers (signalling the beginning or end of a performance)

Written forms: . Readings: .

Kanji and stroke order

tree, wood
on: ボク、モク
kun: き、こ-
4 strokes · JLPT 4

Other Japanese words for “tree”

WordReadingMeaning
じゅもく jumokutree; trees and shrubs
ツリー tsuriitree (esp. a Christmas tree)
もくほん mokuhontree; woody plant
いちじゅ ichijuone tree; a tree

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
もくざい mokuzailumber; timber; wood
もくぞう mokuzouwooden; made of wood; wooden construction
もくよう mokuyouThursday
じゅもく jumokutree; trees and shrubs
あおき aokiJapanese laurel (Aucuba japonica); spotted laurel
なみき namikiroadside trees; row of trees

See also: Chinese symbol for “tree”.

Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.