木 meaning and stroke order
Tree; wood, lumber; wooden
How to write 木, stroke by stroke
4 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
Meaning of 木
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (bound form) tree
- (bound form) wood
- unresponsive; numb; wooden
How 木 is built
Pictographic character. A tree.
How to remember 木
木 is a picture of a tree. The horizontal stroke is the branches, the vertical stroke is the trunk, and the two slanting strokes at the bottom are the roots spreading into the ground.
木 usually appears inside words rather than alone, so for "wood" in speech people say 木头 (mùtou) and for "tree" they say 树 (shù) or 树木 (shùmù). It also describes feeling numb or acting wooden, as in 麻木 (mámù). Example: 这张桌子是木头做的。(Zhè zhāng zhuōzi shì mùtou zuò de.) This table is made of wood.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 木 (mù) with 本 (běn, root; origin), which adds a short stroke across the trunk, and with 末 (mò, end), where the top horizontal stroke is longer than the lower one. In 木, the bottom strokes start from the center and do not touch the horizontal line at the ends.
Common words with 木
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 木头 | mùtou | wood; log (CL:塊|块[kuai4],根[gen1]); (fig.) blockhead; dolt | HSK 3 |
| 树木 | shùmù | tree | HSK 7-9 |
| 木偶 | mù'ǒu | puppet | HSK 7-9 |
| 木材 | mùcái | wood | HSK 7-9 |
| 木板 | mùbǎn | slab; board | HSK 7-9 |
| 麻木 | mámù | numb; insensitive | HSK 7-9 |
| 木匠 | mùjiàng | carpenter | HSK 7-9 |
| 木乃伊 | mùnǎiyī | (loanword) mummy (preserved corpse) | |
| 灌木丛 | guànmùcóng | shrub; shrubbery | |
| 木马 | mùmǎ | wooden horse; rocking horse | |
| 木筏 | mùfá | wooden raft; log raft | |
| 灌木 | guànmù | bush; shrub | |
| 木桩 | mùzhuāng | wooden pile; stake | |
| 棺木 | guānmù | coffin |
木 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 木
Learning 木 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 木
How many strokes are in 木?
木 is written with 4 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 木 mean?
木 (mù) means tree; wood, lumber; wooden. A common word with it is 木头 (mùtou), meaning "wood; log (CL:塊|块[kuai4],根[gen1]); (fig.) blockhead; dolt".
How do you pronounce 木?
木 is pronounced mù, in the fourth tone (falling).
Is 木 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 木 is part of the HSK 3 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 1.
What is the difference between 木 and 树?
树 (shù) is the everyday word for a living tree, as in 一棵树 (yì kē shù). 木 mostly means wood as a material and appears in compounds like 木板 (mùbǎn, board) and 木材 (mùcái, lumber).
Why does 木头 sometimes mean a person?
Calling someone 木头 (mùtou) means they are slow to react or a blockhead, like a piece of wood. This links to the sense of 木 as unresponsive or wooden.