For the study of morphological variation in winter buds of Q. variabilis $B_L$. natural populations in Korea, 16 populations were selected through the country in consideration of latitude, longitude, altitude, and geographical characters. Thirty trees were randomly selected from each population and 30 terminal and 30 lateral buds were sampled below 1/3 crown length of each tree. Four morphological characters including length and width of terminal and lateral buds were measured. 1. Length and width of terminal and lateral buds were in the ranges 6.9~11.3cm, 3.0~3.7cm, 6.1~8.9cm, and 2.5~3.1cm, respectively. The coefficient of variation were in about 20% in all the characters investigated. 2. All the characters were significantly different among populations as well as among individuals within populations. The degree of contribution of variance among individuals within populations was higher than that among populations. 3. Length of terminal bud showed positive correlation with length and width of lateral bud; and width of lateral bud with width of terminal bud and length of lateral bud. Also, positive correlations were observed between longitude and width of terminal bud, between latitude and length of terminal and lateral bud. 4. Cluster analysis using complete linkage method for winter bud characters showed two groups to Euclidean distance 3.4. They were group I of population 8 and group II of populations 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16. However, group II was divided into two at Euclidean distance 1.5 that are a group including populations 1, 2, 7, 9, and 11(groupII-1) and the other group including populations 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16(groupII-2).