Wood / Tree in Chinese Characters 🌲 🪵

1. 木 (mù): The basic character for “wood” or “tree” in Chinese is 木 (mù). It represents a tree with roots, trunk, and branches. The character 木 is also used as the wood radical (⺧) in many other Chinese characters related to wood, trees, or plants.
2. 林 (lín): This character means “forest” or “woods” and is composed of two 木 (mù) characters side by side. It represents a small forest or a group of trees.
3. 森 (sēn): This character also means “forest” but represents a larger, denser forest than 林 (lín). It is composed of three 木 (mù) characters arranged in a triangle.
4. 树 (shù) this is a character for a single tree, or to cultivate; to set up

Characters with 4 or More 木 Components

There are a few characters with four or more 木 components. However, characters with four or more 木 components are quite rare. You can read more about them here: https://zhidao.baidu.com/question/181318842540345244.html

10 Related Chinese Characters with the Wood Radical

1. 板 (bǎn) – Plank, board
2. 果 (guǒ) – Fruit
3. 树 (shù) – Tree
4. 枝 (zhī) – Branch, twig
5. 柱 (zhù) – Pillar, column
6. 杯 (bēi) – Cup, glass
7. 染 (rǎn) – To dye, color
8. 样 (yàng) – Appearance, pattern
9. 来 (lái) – To come, arrive
10. 枕 (zhěn) – Pillow

The Meaning of Wood in Chinese Characters

In Chinese characters, wood is often associated with trees, plants, and nature. It can also symbolize growth, development, and vitality. The wood radical (⺧) in characters typically indicates that the character is related to wood, trees, or plant life in some way.

Development of the Wood Chinese Character from Oracle Bones

The character 木 has undergone several changes since its earliest appearance in oracle bone script, which was used during the late Shang Dynasty (approximately 1250-1046 BCE). In oracle bone script, the character 木 was more pictographic, resembling a tree with roots, trunk, and branches. Over time, the character evolved and became more abstract, eventually taking on its current form in modern Chinese script.

In summary, the wood radical (⺧) and the character 木 (mù) play a significant role in Chinese characters related to wood, trees, and plants. These characters symbolize growth and vitality and have evolved from their pictographic origins in oracle bone script to their current forms in modern Chinese script.

If you would like more articles like this, or would like a book with 100 most interesting Chinese characters with each page of Chinese characters like this, send me a message .

Follow me on Linkedin for more stories about Chinese characters.