Mori is the Japanese word for ‘forest’, explained

What does “mori” mean in Japanese?

There are some homophones in Japanese, but native speakers say “mori” usually to mean ‘forest’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word as it is sometimes used in Japanese movies, songs, novels, manga, anime, and the like. In this blog post, however, I will explain this word in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I will explain how to use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to understand “mori” more clearly. Then, 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’, ‘grove’, or ‘woods’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.

This kanji consists of the same three components. “木” means ‘tree’ in Japanese. We can understand, therefore, that a forest in the Japanese language can literally be expressed by three trees. This doesn’t mean, however, that “mori” can only be used to refer to a set of three trees. Japanese native speakers use it to refer to an area covered with many trees in general.

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

When we meet new kanji characters, we should check their components in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, kanji components tell us a lot about meanings of characters they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “mori” through the detailed check above. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentences below.

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

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kinou – 昨日 (きのう) : a noun meaning ‘yesterday’ in Japanese. This can also work as an adverb. In the example, this works as an adverb at the beginning of the sentence to say “yesterday” in Japanese.
• boku – 僕 (ぼく) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. This is used mainly by boys and young males.
• tachi – 達 (たち) : a suffix used after a noun or pronoun to make its plural form. In the example, this is used after “boku” to make its plural form, “boku tachi”, which means ‘we’ in Japanese.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “boku tachi” to make the subject in the sentence.
• e – へ : a case particle used to say where someone or something goes. In the example, this is used after “mori” to say where “boku tachi” went yesterday.
• 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 used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its past tense form. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese ta form. In the example, this is used after “it” to make its past tense form, “it ta”.

This is a typical usage of “mori”. In this example, it works together with the case particle, “e”, to say where the speaker went yesterday. When we want to say “forest” in Japanese, anyway, this noun is a very good option.

Example #2: another usage of “mori”

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• de – で : a case particle used to say where someone does something. In the example, this is used after “mori” to say where “boku tachi” had a walk.
• sanpo – 散歩 (さんぽ) : a noun meaning ‘walk’ or ‘stroll’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural.
• wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “sanpo” to make the object in the sentence.
• shi – し : one conjugation of the verb, “suru”, which means ‘to do’, ‘to perform’, or such in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.

This is another typical usage of “mori”. In this example, it works together with the case particle, “de”, to say where the speaker had the walk. “Sanpo wo shi ta” is a commonly-used expression meaning ‘to have done a walk’ in Japanese, but often translated into English as ‘to have had a walk’. It’s worth knowing, I think.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “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’, ‘grove’, or ‘woods’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. This kanji consists of the same three components. “木” means ‘tree’ in Japanese. We can understand, therefore, that a forest in the Japanese language can literally be expressed by three trees. This doesn’t mean, however, that “mori” can only be used to refer to a set of three trees. Japanese native speakers use it to refer to an area covered with many trees in general.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.