木 Wood / tree

Meaning and position

Meaning: wood, tree

Where it sits: Left side or full character 木.

Furniture and trees

木 as a left radical often marks wooden objects: 桌子, 椅子, 床 in beginner rooms.

The character looks like a tree with spreading branches. Keep the vertical stroke through the center.

林 is two 木; 森 is three. Cute, but your first job is 木 on the left of furniture words.

Study use

When you learn 杯子, look at 木 in 杯. The radical is a memory hook, not the whole meaning.

Say the word, then glance at 木, then look away. Shape should follow sound.

Do not delay speaking until you can write every wooden object.

Example characters

Takeaways

• Left 木 often means wooden object.
• 杯 is both a cup and a measure word.
• Draw a clear trunk stroke so 木 does not look like 大.