also: たきぎ
noun
firewood; split logs for fuel
Only when written 薪 · Only with reading まき
Usually read まき and written 薪. Refers especially to pieces of wood chopped or split from logs for use as fuel, such as in a stove, fireplace, or campfire.
冬に備えて薪を積んだ。
We stacked firewood in preparation for winter.
暖炉に薪をくべる。
I put firewood into the fireplace.
noun
kindling; twigs or branches for burning; firewood
Only when written 焚き木 / たき木 / 薪 · Only with reading たきぎ
Read たきぎ. Often refers to small wood such as twigs, branches, or gathered wood used to start or feed a fire; it can overlap with general firewood but contrasts with 薪・まき as split logs.
焚き木を集めて火を起こした。
We gathered kindling and started a fire.
雨で焚き木が湿っていた。
The kindling was damp from the rain.
Kana-mixed variant of 焚き木; useful for recognition, though less formal-looking than 焚き木.
Clear spelling for たきぎ, especially when referring to kindling or wood gathered for burning.
炭 is charcoal, wood that has already been carbonized; 薪 is wood used as fuel before it becomes charcoal.
木材 means timber or lumber as a material for construction or manufacture, not specifically wood for burning.
柴 can mean brushwood or small twigs for fuel and overlaps with たきぎ, but it is less common and can sound literary or old-fashioned.
まき is a native Japanese reading with uncertain historical derivation; 薪 is the conventional kanji for firewood. 焚き木 is a transparent compound spelling from 焚き, related to burning, plus 木, wood.