Forest in Japanese: mori, explained based on its kanji expression

How to say “forest” in Japanese

Japanese people would say “mori”. It is the Japanese word for ‘forest’. Very simple and clear, I think. In this blog post, however, I will explain this word in detail based on its kanji expression, as its structure is interesting. And also, I will explain how to use it through example sentences. Let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meanings of “mori”
• Example #1: how to say “forest” in Japanese
• Example #2: another usage of “mori”
• Summary

Definition and meanings of “mori”

Let me start with the definition and meanings of “mori”.

• mori – 森 (もり) : a noun meaning ‘forest’ in Japanese. Depending on the situation, it can also be used to mean ‘grove’ or ‘woods’.

As you can see here, this kanji consists of the same three kanji characters, “木”, which means ‘tree’ in Japanese. So, in the Japanese language, a forest can literally be expressed by three trees. But, this doesn’t mean that “mori” can only be used to express a set of three trees. Japanese native speakers use it to mean an area covered with many trees in general.

Sometimes, we can find kanji characters composed of the same kanji characters. “Mori” is one typical. Another example coming to my mind is “honō“. Its kanji character consists of the same two kanji characters meaning ‘fire’ in Japanese. Making a kanji character by repeating the same kanji character seems to have been used to emphasize the original meaning of the component. For “mori”, the meaning of “tree” is emphasized; for “honō”, the meaning of “fire” is emphasized.

When we meet new kanji expressions, we should check their kanji characters in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, kanji characters tell us a lot about meanings of words they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “mori” through the detailed kanji check above.

Then, let me explain how to use “mori” through the example sentences below.

Example #1: how to say “forest” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kyou – 今日 (きょう) : a noun meaning ‘today’ in Japanese. Grammatically, it is a noun, but can also be used as an adverb and inserted almost anywhere in a sentence to say “today”. In the example, it is used as an adverb.
• watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
• tachi – 達 (たち) : a suffix put after a noun or pronoun to make its plural form. In the example, it is put after the pronoun, “watashi”, to make its plural form, “watashi tachi”, which means ‘we’ in Japanese. Learn more about Japanese plural.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, it is put after the plural pronoun, “watashi tachi”, to make the subject in the sentence.
• he – へ : a case particle used to indicate a particular place to which someone or something goes. In the example, it is put after the noun, “mori”, to indicate the particular place to which “watashi tachi” went.
• it – 行っ (いっ) : one conjugation of the verb, “iku”, which means ‘to go’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• ta – た : an auxiliary verb put after a verb, adjective, auxiliary verb, or phrase to make its past tense form. Probably it is well known as a part of Japanese ta form. In the example, it is put after the conjugated verb, “it”, to make its past tense form, “it ta”.

This is a typical usage of “mori”. When we want to say “forest” in Japanese, it would be the best choice in many cases.

Example #2: another usage of “mori”

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• ki – 木 (き) : a noun meaning ‘tree’ in Japanese.
• wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. The first “wo” put after the noun, “ki”, is used to make the object in the first clause.
• mi – 見 (み) : one conjugation of the verb, “miru”, which means ‘to see’, ‘to watch’, ‘to look’, or such in Japanese. It has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• te – て : a conjunctive particle used to connect two words, phrases, or sentences. Normally, the second refers to the event happening after the one described by the first. This particle is often translated into English as “and” or “then”. In the example, it is put after the conjugated verb, “mi”, to connect the first clause and the second smoothly.
• wo – the same as explained above. The second “wo” put after the noun, “mori”, is used to make the object in the second clause.
• mi – 見 (み) : the same as explained above.
• zu – ず : an old auxiliary verb put after a verb or adjective to deny its meaning. In the example, it is put after the conjugated verb, “mi”, to deny its meaning, “to see”.

This is another typical usage of “mori”. Here, it is used as a part of the Japanese famous proverb. It literally means ‘you see the wood, but don’t see the forest’, but is normally interpreted as ‘you can’t see the wood for the trees’. Japanese native speakers often use this proverb, so it’s worth knowing, I think.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explain the word, “mori”, in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.

• mori – 森 (もり) : a noun meaning ‘forest’ in Japanese. Depending on the situation, it can also be used to mean ‘grove’ or ‘woods’. This kanji consists of the same three kanji characters, “木”, which means ‘tree’ in Japanese. So, in the Japanese language, a forest can literally be expressed by three trees.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.