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Kanji Detail for 松 - "pine tree"

松

  • Meaning

    松 means "pine tree." Also associated with longevity, prosperity.

    1. Pine - An evergreen coniferous tree.

    2. Longevity - Long life; endurance.

    3. Prosperity - Success and good fortune.

  • Words using 松

    • 赤松 あかまつ Listen Japanese red pine (Pinus densiflora); Japanese umbrella pine; tanyosho pine
    • 浜松 はままつ Listen Hamamatsu (city)

  • Four-character idioms with 松

    • 白砂青松 はくしゃせいしょう Listen white sands and green pines; beautiful coastal scenery

  • Origin of 松

    木, the tree, beside 公, "duke", lending the reading shō: the lord among trees — evergreen through winter, and for that constancy the first rank (松) of the pine-bamboo-plum triad.

    How to remember it: The tree with a duke's 公 title — green when every other tree has given up: the pine.

    Sources: en.wiktionary.org · mojinavi.com

  • Tattoo check: 松

    • Verified meaning: pine tree
    • Official Jōyō kanji — a standard character every Japanese reader recognises
    • Used in real Japanese given names (read かつあき, かつしろ, かつすけ, かつぬま)
    • Also carries these associations: longevity, prosperity

    A single kanji rarely maps one-to-one onto an English word. Read the meanings and associations above as a set — a character that fits the dictionary definition can still carry a connotation you did not intend.

  • Name readings of 松

    Given names 松(まつ)Listen

    Surnames 松(かつあき)Listen 松(かつしろ)Listen 松(かつすけ)Listen 松(かつぬま)Listen 松(かつはた)Listen 松(かつひさ)Listen 松(かつまさ)Listen 松(しょうすけ)Listen 松(まつさき)Listen 松(まつざき)Listen 松(まつすえ)Listen

  • Compare with other kanji that mean the same thing:

  • Dictionary Citations

    The meaning above is based on the following sources:

    KANJIDIC2 A comprehensive Japanese-English kanji dictionary

    pine tree

    Unihan Unicode Han Database for CJK characters

    pine tree; fir tree

    CC-CEDICT A Chinese-English dictionary

    surname Song

    Make Me a Hanzi Open-source Chinese character data

    pine tree; fir tree

    XSZD Xuéshēng Zìdiǎn (學生字典) - Student's Dictionary

    A tree name. Trunk is tall and straight with many knots. Bark is rough and thick, cracked like tortoiseshell. Needle-like leaves. Many varieties. Those with two needles per cluster include red pine and black pine, distinguished by bark color. Those with five needles per cluster include sea pine and five-needle pine. All bloom in summer. Male flowers are yellow like pollen, which is the commonly used pine pollen. Cones are oval with scales, taking a year to mature. The roots secrete resin that does not decay in soil, called pine resin, which can burn. Rosin used in medicine is made from this. The wood has many uses. Red pine is most commonly seen. Edible pine nuts come from sea pine. Another variety with bluish-white bark as if powdered, colloquially called white-bark pine, is ornamental. | Pine is an evergreen tree. Confucius spoke of it as "the last to wither." From "Analerta." Hence it is a metaphor for integrity and longevity, as in 貞松 (steadfast pine), 喬松 (tall pine).

  • Onyomi

    tip

    shoh(ショウ) ショウ

  • Kunyomi

    tip

    matsu(まつ) まつ

  • Strokes

    tip

    8 strokes

  • Radical

    tip

    木 (ki・kihen)

  • Related Keywords

    pine tree longevity prosperity conifer evergreen bonsai needle resin forest enduring flourish

Sentences including 松

  • He lived in matsue for seven years.

Sentences from Japanese classical masterpieces

More kanji with the radical 木 (ki・kihen)

See all kanji with this radical →

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