寄よせ木ぎ細ざい工く

よ

せ

ぎ

ざ

い

く

Meanings

1

noun

wooden mosaic work; marquetry; parquetry

A traditional Japanese craft where small pieces of different colored woods are assembled into intricate patterns, often used for boxes, furniture, and decorative items.

箱はこ根ねの寄よせ木ぎ細工ざいくは有ゆう名めいなお土産みやげです。

Hakone's wooden mosaic work is a famous souvenir.

この小こ箱ばこは美うつくしい寄よせ木ぎ細工ざいくで飾かざられている。

This small box is decorated with beautiful marquetry.

Kanji

寄draw near, stop in, bring near
木tree, wood
細dainty, get thin, taper
工craft, construction, katakana e radical (no. 48)

Related words

木もく象ぞう嵌がん
木象嵌 refers specifically to wood inlay, where pieces are set into a carved-out surface, while 寄せ木細工 involves assembling pieces into a pattern, often as a surface veneer.

Built from

寄よせる+木き+細さい工く

Written forms

寄よせ木ぎ細ざい工く
Standard kanji spelling; the 寄せ form is more common in modern usage.
寄よせ木ぎ細ざい工く
Alternate spelling without okurigana; also seen but less common.

Etymology

Compound of 寄せ木 (yosegi, 'pieces of wood put together') and 細工 (saiku, 'craftwork'). The term describes the technique of creating patterns by combining small wood pieces of different colors and grains.