Translation guide
The craft or activity of making items from wood, including carpentry, joinery, and carving. Japanese terms vary by context, from professional carpentry to DIY and artistic woodcraft.
The broad activity of working with wood to build or repair things, especially in a professional or serious hobby context.
The most common general term for woodworking, covering both professional and hobbyist contexts. Often used in compounds like 木工所 (woodworking shop).
彼は木工が得意です。
He is good at woodworking.
週末に木工を楽しんでいます。
I enjoy woodworking on weekends.
Emphasizes the artistic or craft aspect of woodworking, often used for decorative or traditional items.
木工芸の展覧会に行きました。
I went to a woodcraft exhibition.
Traditional Japanese joinery or cabinetmaking without nails, using precise interlocking joints. A specialized form of woodworking.
指物の技術は何世紀も受け継がれてきました。
The techniques of sashimono joinery have been passed down for centuries.
Woodworking as a trade, especially in building houses, furniture, or structures.
Refers to a carpenter or the trade of carpentry. Often used for house building and structural woodwork. Can also mean 'carpentry' as a field.
父は大工です。
My father is a carpenter.
大工の仕事を学んでいます。
I'm learning carpentry.
Specifically refers to the making of doors, windows, and other wooden fittings in construction. A subset of carpentry.
Casual woodworking done as a hobby or for small home projects, often using power tools.
Combines the loanword DIY with 木工 to specify hobbyist woodworking. Very common in modern contexts.
DIY木工で棚を作りました。
I made a shelf with DIY woodworking.
Literally 'Sunday carpenter', meaning a weekend DIYer or amateur carpenter. Often used for home improvement.
日曜大工で本棚を作るのが趣味です。
My hobby is making bookshelves as a weekend carpenter.
The specific activity of carving shapes or figures from wood, often with knives or chisels.
Wood carving as an art or craft. Covers everything from small figurines to large sculptures.
木彫の熊を作りました。
I carved a wooden bear.
Alternative reading for wood carving, often used in casual contexts.
木工 is the general term for woodworking as an activity or craft, while 大工 specifically refers to the trade of carpentry, especially in construction. Use 木工 for hobbies and general woodcraft, and 大工 when talking about professional building work.
In casual contexts, you may hear ウッドワーキング (woodworking) as a loanword, but it's less common than 木工. For DIY contexts, DIY木工 is widely understood.
I work at a joinery shop (making doors and windows).
I collect wooden carved dolls.