also: しょうふ
woodcutter; lumberjack; logger
Refers to a person whose job is cutting down trees or logging. The word is straightforward and neutral in register.
My grandfather worked as a woodcutter in the mountains when he was young.
The lumberjack felled a large tree with an axe.
樵る is the verb meaning 'to cut down trees' or 'to log', from which 木こり is derived.
Most common modern spelling, using kana for the second part to avoid rare kanji.
Single-kanji form; less common but still seen in literary or traditional contexts.
Rarely used kanji form; the second kanji is uncommon.
Rare kanji form with an alternate reading; mostly historical or literary.
Derived from the verb 樵る (きこる, 'to cut down trees'), with the nominalizing suffix り. The kanji 木 (tree) and 樵 (woodcutter) are used, but the kana spelling 木こり is now standard.