70+ Japanese Nature Words You Should Know

The Japanese language has plenty of nature words.

And in this guide, you’ll pick up some interesting Japanese nature words.

General Nature Words

1. Nature

In Japanese, the word for nature is “shizen.”

This can apply to the outdoors but it can also mean natural.

Natural foods and products can also be described by this word.  

And nature in Japanese kanji is… 自然.

It’s a combination of…

• 自 which can mean “self/auto” or “natural/spontaneous”
•  然 which represents “state” (as in, the state of things.)

So, literally meaning, “a natural state.”

2. The great outdoors

This is the second most important Japanese nature word to know.

“Shizen” means nature, but “daishizen” refers to the outdoors that are vast and expansive.

If you went on a safari with a huge area of protected wildlife it would be called “daishizen.”

Literally, the word is “big nature” because the “dai”  大 kanji means “big.”

3. Sky

Sora refers to the sky in Japanese.

You might also think of it as a female name but these days it can also be a popular name for boys!

The kanji character actually is meant to look like the sky.

The way the lower part can look like the ground (工) and the top part could be like the clouds or sunshine (穴).

4. Scenery

“Keshiki” can refer to anyplace where the view is great…

Forests, mountains, beaches, and even the city skyline.

Definitely one of the must-know Japanese nature words here.

5. Forest 

When two kanji characters for the word tree are put together into one, it forms the word for forest.

However, the word “hayashi” represents forests that are more man-made and maintained than wild forests.

So, keep that in mind.

Why?

Because there are more words for forest in Japanese.

6. Forest 

Pronunciation: Mori

“Mori” is the word for forest when three of the kanji characters for tree are put together.

This word is different from “hayashi” in the sense that it represents extensive wild forests.

If you went to a giant nature preserve, the forest there would be a “mori” and not a “hayashi”.

7. Forest

Yes, there’s a 3rd word for forest in Japanese!

But, “shinrin” refers to forests with particularly large and tall trees.

Unlike “hayashi” and “mori”, there is a connotation that the forest is old and has ancient trees.

There is a total of five smaller “tree” kanji in this word which makes it a word with particularly strong imagery.

8. Ground

The ground is represented by the word “jimen” in Japanese.

地面 is made up of two kanji characters which mean “earth” and “surface”.

It is literally the earth’s surface but it can mean the ground or dirt as well. 

9. Environment

Environment is another good, general nature word to know.

As with English…

You can use to describe nature and caring for the environment…

And you can also talk about someone’s surroundings – whether nature, city, home, and so on.

10. Earth

Finally, we can’t have Japanese nature words…

….without talking about the planet we’re all on.

Earth in Japanese is “Chikyuu.”

The kanji 地 refers to the earth or land and 球 means a sphere or globe.

Next up are the basic elements of nature…

Green Japanese Nature Words in Japanese

Now, let’s get to some green Japanese nature words.

By green, I mean greenery… like trees, grass, leaves, bushes and and all that good stuff.

Of course “forest” would make sense too, but I included it up top.

By the way, the color green in Japanese is “midori” and it also used for greenery.

After green Japanese words, let’s cover blue.

Blue Japanese Nature Words in Japanese

What’s blue?

Japanese words for sea, water,and so on!

The most common words you might want to know are “umi” for sea, “kawa” for river, and “mizu” for water.

Earth & Land Related Nature Words

I’m talking rocks, mountains, and such.

The most common words you’d want to know are “yama” for mountain, “shima’ for island, and “iwa” for rock or stone.

Special Japanese Nature Words

So, there quite a bit of unique and beautiful Japanese words…

Especially relating to nature.

And they’re worth knowing and mentioning here.

Changing leaves during the Fall – Kouyou

• 紅葉 – Kouyou

This is one of the most common Japanese autumn words to know.

“Kouyou” refers to the leaves during the fall when they are changing colors.

In Japanese, it is represented by one word and an important part of Japanese culture. Many people go out to the mountains of Japan to see the “kouyou.”

Sunshine filtering through the leaves – Komorebi

• 木漏れ日 – Komorebi

One of the more unique Japanese nature words here is… “komorebi”.

This represents the sunlight that comes through a wooded forest from the trees.

The light that is filtered through the trees casts a magical light into the forest. You’ll also find this on my list of beautiful Japanese words.

Shade from trees – Shigemi

• 茂み – Shigemi

In English, we only have one word for “shade” which can refer to shade from roofs, umbrellas, and trees. 

However, in Japanese, “shigemi” refers to the shade created from trees and bushes.

Animals will often hide in the “shigemi” so they are not found.

Animal path/wild trails – Kemono michi

• けもの道 – Kemono michi

“Kemono” in Japanese means wild animals or monsters.

This word refers to the trails that are created naturally in a forest by wild animals.

It can also be wild trails that only a few people have traveled through.

Forest Bathing – shinrin-yoku

• 森林浴 – shinrin-yoku

Shinrin means forest, as you learned above. And yoku is bathing.

This word refers to being in nature, among trees and bathing in that environment… which is very good for your health. It lowers your stress, can improve blood pressure and more.

The beauty of nature – Kachou fuugetsu

• 花鳥風月 – kachou fuugetsu

This interesting combination of kanji contains… flowers, birds, wind, and moon…

All part of nature. In total, it means “the beauty of nature.”

Back to You!

Now you know a whole bunch of Japanese nature words.

The Japanese language has a variety of other interesting words, where you’ll also find other nature-related words. So check out the links below:

• beautiful Japanese words
• Japanese spring words
• Japanese winter words

Anyway, which word was your favorite?

Leave a comment! I read them all.

– The Main Junkie