Translation guide
A person who makes things from wood, especially as a craft or trade. In Japanese, the term depends on the type of woodworking, from fine joinery to carpentry.
woodworker (general craftsman)
woodworker (carpenter)
A person who works with wood to create furniture, art, or structures, often as a skilled trade.
General term for woodworking or a woodworker. Can refer to the craft itself or the person, though often used in compounds.
He is a woodworker.
Specifically a woodworking craftsman. Emphasizes skill and traditional craftsmanship.
A cabinetmaker or joiner specializing in fine woodwork, especially furniture and intricate joinery without nails.
A woodturner or base-wood craftsman who shapes wooden cores for lacquerware or other items.
A person who builds or repairs wooden structures, such as houses or frameworks.
The standard term for a carpenter in construction. Often associated with building houses and wooden frameworks.
The carpenter is building a house.
A master carpenter specializing in traditional temples and shrines, using ancient joinery techniques.
A joiner who makes doors, windows, and other wooden fittings for buildings.
A person who carves decorative or artistic objects from wood.
木工 (もっこう) is a broader term for woodworking as a craft, while 大工 (だいく) specifically refers to a carpenter in construction. If you're talking about someone who builds houses, use 大工; for furniture or art, use 木工職人 or more specific terms.
It's common and polite to add さん after trade names like 大工さん or 職人さん when referring to someone respectfully.
The woodworker is making furniture.
The woodworker made a beautiful chest of drawers.
The woodworker carves out the shape of the bowl.
The temple carpenter is restoring the shrine.
建具師が障子を作ります。
The joiner makes sliding paper doors.
The woodcarver carves the transom panel.