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.
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.