1.
plants; vegetation; trees and grass
Plants in general, especially the combination of grasses and trees that make up natural vegetation.
春になると草木が芽吹く。
When spring comes, the plants begin to sprout.
庭の草木の手入れをした。
I tended to the plants in the garden.
草木も眠る丑三つ時という言葉があるが、真夜中の静けさを表す表現だ。
There's the expression 'the hour when even the plants sleep,' which describes the stillness of the dead of night.
A Sino-Japanese reading of 草 (grass) + 木 (tree). This is the on'yomi reading, used in more literary, formal, or set expression contexts. The same kanji can also be read 草木 (kun'yomi), which is the more colloquial reading.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 草木が茂る — vegetation grows thick
- 草木が枯れる — vegetation withers
- 草木が芽吹く — plants bud/sprout
- 草木も眠る — even the plants sleep (set phrase for dead of night)
RELATED READING:
- 草木 — the same kanji read with kun'yomi; more colloquial and used in everyday speech to refer to trees and grass. The そうもく reading is more literary.
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 植物 — plants (botanical/scientific term); more formal and includes all plants, not just visible vegetation
- 緑 — greenery; focuses on the visual aspect of green plants
- 植生 — vegetation (ecological term); technical term for the plant life of a region