木こり
kikori
The Japanese word for "lumberjack" is 木こり (kikori).
木こり refers to a person who fells trees. The term 木こり is often used in a storytelling or folkloric context, such as in fairy tales or traditional stories.
Meaning: person who fells trees (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
kikori
Did you know?
- Japanese folklore often features the 山童 or 'mountain child', a supernatural creature that sometimes assists or tricks the 木こり in the woods.
- The word 木こり shares its first character with 木曜日に meaning 'on Thursday', as both are rooted in the character for 'tree'.
- In modern Japanese, a professional forestry worker is more likely to be called a 林業従事者 rather than 木こり, which sounds like a character from a fable.
Examples in context
- 彼は昔、木こりでした。Kare wa mukashi, kiko-ri deshita.He was a lumberjack in the past.
- 木こりが森に入っていきます。Kikori ga mori ni haitte ikimasu.A lumberjack is going into the forest.
- 木こりの仕事はとても大変です。Kikori no shigoto wa totemo taihen desu.The work of a lumberjack is very hard.
Example conversation
Yui and Ren are looking at a picture book together.
- 結衣 Yui蓮、この本の主人公は木こりなの？Ren, kono hon no shujinkou wa kikori nano?Ren, is the main character of this book a lumberjack?
- 蓮 Renうん、森で木を切る仕事をしているよ。Un, mori de ki o kiru shigoto o shite iru yo.Yes, he has a job cutting trees in the forest.
- 結衣 Yuiとても力強そうな人だね。Totemo chikara-tsuyosou na hito da ne.He looks like a very strong person.
- 蓮 Ren木こりは体力がたくさん必要だからね。Kikori wa tairyoku ga takusan hitsuyou dakara ne.That's because lumberjacks need a lot of physical strength.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 木こり, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
