榊
sakaki
sacred Shinto tree
ORIGIN · SOURCED MADE IN JAPAN
The tree offered to the gods
木tree
+ 神god
= 榊榊 is 木 (tree) beside 神 (god): a tree offered to the gods. Dictionaries mark it as a kokuji, a kanji made in Japan.
Sakaki is an evergreen used in Shinto rites. Its branches are offered at shrines, and the tree is often planted on shrine grounds.
Like many kanji made in Japan, it has only a native Japanese reading, sakaki, and no Chinese-style one.
What we don’t claimWhere the spoken word sakaki comes from is uncertain (dictionaries give more than one guess), so we only explain the character.
Sources
Checked 2026-09-26. The story above is in our own words. Spotted a mistake? Tell us on Instagram.
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