wood chip; splinter
Small piece or fragment of wood, often a byproduct of cutting or breaking.
There are wood chips on the floor, so be careful.
worthless thing; worthless person
Used as a prefix or standalone noun to disparage something or someone as trivial, insignificant, or of no value. Often in compounds like 木っ端役人 (petty official).
The carpenter cleaned up the wood splinters.
What does a petty official like that know?
He thinks of himself as a nobody.
木片 is a more formal or technical term for a piece of wood, without the derogatory nuance of 木っ端.
おがくず refers specifically to sawdust, which is finer than 木っ端.
petty official; minor bureaucrat
Standard kanji spelling for this word.
Alternate spelling using 片 (piece, fragment).
Alternate spelling using 葉 (leaf), emphasizing thin wood fragments.
Kana spelling for the second part, common in casual writing.
Irregular okurigana usage; normally read きはし or もくたん.
Irregular okurigana usage; normally read もくへん.
Irregular okurigana usage; normally read きのは or もくよう.
Compound of 木 (wood) and 端 (edge, fragment), with the geminate consonant っ inserted for emphasis. The derogatory sense likely developed from the idea of something being a mere scrap.