How do you say "stem" in Japanese?

茎

kuki

Noun Kanji

In Japanese, "stem" is 茎 (kuki).

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Pronunciation

茎 is written using kanji. Romanised as kuki, it sounds roughly like "koo-kee" to an English ear.

Writing and usage

Kuki is a botanical kanji used for plant stems and stalks. It combines plant and tree elements to show botanical structure.

Example sentence

茎を使います。

Kuki wo tsukaimasu.

I use the stem.

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How to remember 茎

The kanji 茎 has grass radical above. Kuki is the stalk or stem holding up the plant. Think of bending a stalk.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

See more farm words.

Questions about 茎

How do you pronounce 茎?

茎 is romanised as kuki. Say it roughly like "koo-kee" in English. Each Japanese syllable has even weight, so keep the rhythm steady.

Is 茎 formal or casual?

茎 is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech. The level of formality comes from the sentence structure around it, not from the word itself.

How is 茎 written in Japanese?

茎 is written using kanji. Kuki is a botanical kanji used for plant stems and stalks.

Where can I practice Japanese words for free?

You can play free Japanese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, with no sign-up needed. Every word in the Japanese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.

"Stem" in other languages

Curated by Callan Ratcliffe

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