Meaning
The kanji 薪 (シン / たきぎ / まき) means firewood or kindling — cut wood intended to be burned as fuel. At N1 level, it connects to something tangible in Japan's rural past. Heating, cooking, and light all depended on firewood gathered and stacked before winter arrived.
Structurally, 薪 has two components. The top is 艹 (くさかんむり, the grass radical), signaling plant-based material. The bottom is 新 (shin, "new"), acting mainly as a phonetic component — which explains why 薪 reads シン. Read the whole character as: plant matter (艹) that is new and freshly cut (新), gathered for the hearth.
Beyond firewood itself, 薪 has an interesting life in formal and literary language. The compound 薪水 (しんすい) originally meant the daily chores of gathering firewood and drawing water. Through Chinese classical influence, it shifted to mean wages or salary — you work to earn life's basic necessities. That semantic journey from household chores to paycheck is worth keeping in mind when you meet 薪水 in older texts.
The most striking compound using 薪 is the four-character idiom 臥薪嘗胆 — enduring hardship in pursuit of a larger ambition. It traces back to Chinese history: a defeated king slept on rough firewood and tasted bitter gall each morning to keep his shame vivid. That image of self-imposed suffering, sustained over years, became the defining symbol of iron determination in both Japanese and Chinese culture. 薪 has 16 strokes and is taught at secondary school (grade 8).
Readings
On'yomi (音読み) — Chinese-derived readings
薪 has one primary On'yomi reading:
シン (shin) — Found almost exclusively in Sino-Japanese compounds and formal or literary writing. The phonetic origin is Middle Chinese, and modern usage is largely academic or cultural. The shared reading with 新 (shin, "new") is no coincidence — 新 sits inside 薪 as its phonetic component.
- 薪水 (shinsui) — wages, livelihood; literally "firewood and water," the basic necessities; used in literary and formal register
- 薪炭 (shintan) — firewood and charcoal; solid fuels collectively; still used in traditional crafts and historical contexts
- 採薪 (saishin) — gathering firewood; a classical term found in literature and poetry
Kun'yomi (訓読み) — Native Japanese readings
薪 has two kun'yomi readings in modern Japanese, both meaning firewood but with distinct registers:
たきぎ (takigi) — The classical, poetic reading. It appears in literature, Noh programs, and shrine ceremony texts. The image it conjures is bundled wood gathered from forests — deliberate, ceremonial, unhurried.
- 薪 (takigi) — firewood (classical and literary usage)
- 薪能 (takigi nō) — outdoor Noh performance lit by bonfires; held at shrines and temples across Japan each summer
- 薪火 (takigibi) — torchlight, firelight from burning wood; used in poetic and ceremonial descriptions
まき (maki) — The everyday reading in modern Japanese. Camping trips, wood stoves, home heating — all まき. This is what you hear in contemporary conversation.
- 薪 (maki) — firewood (everyday, conversational usage)
- 薪割り (makiwari) — splitting firewood with an axe; a classic image of rural Japanese life
- 薪ストーブ (maki sutōbu) — wood-burning stove; popular in rural homes, mountain lodges, and stylish cafés
Common Words & Compounds
薪 appears across everyday, traditional, and literary contexts. The compounds below are grouped by theme.
Everyday and Practical Uses
- 薪 (maki) — firewood; the standard modern term
- 薪割り (makiwari) — splitting firewood; chopping wood
- 薪ストーブ (maki sutōbu) — wood stove; a symbol of warm, rustic living
- 薪棚 (makidana) — firewood rack; a storage shelf for stacked wood
- 薪窯 (makigama) — wood-fired kiln; used in traditional pottery; produces distinctive ash glaze effects
Traditional and Cultural Terms
- 薪能 (takigi nō) — outdoor Noh theater by torchlight; held at famous venues like Kasuga Shrine in Nara; one of Japan's most atmospheric summer traditions
- 薪火 (takigibi) — torch flame, firelight; used in poetry and ceremony to evoke mystery and antiquity
- 薪 (takigi) — firewood (classical reading); the form you encounter in classical texts or Noh librettos
Formal and Literary Compounds
- 薪水 (shinsui) — wages, livelihood; literally gathering firewood and drawing water; formal and literary register
- 薪炭 (shintan) — firewood and charcoal; solid biomass fuel; appears in historical and craft contexts
- 採薪 (saishin) — gathering firewood; from classical poetry, evoking rural simplicity
- 臥薪嘗胆 (gashinshoutan) — to endure hardship for a greater purpose; one of the most important yojijukugo for N1 learners
臥薪嘗胆 (がしんしょうたん) comes from the Chinese historical text Shiji. King Goujian of Yue, after a crushing defeat, slept on rough firewood (臥薪) and licked bitter gall (嘗胆) each morning — refusing to let comfort soften the memory of his humiliation. His patience eventually led to victory. The idiom turns up regularly in N1 reading passages and formal Japanese writing, so knowing the story behind it pays off.
Example Sentences
冬に備えて薪をたくさん集めた。
Fuyu ni sonaete maki wo takusan atsumeta.
We gathered a lot of firewood in preparation for winter.
薪ストーブで部屋が暖かくなった。
Maki sutōbu de heya ga atatakaku natta.
The room warmed up from the wood stove.
父は斧で薪を割っていた。
Chichi wa ono de maki wo watte ita.
My father was splitting firewood with an axe.
キャンプの夜、薪に火をつけてたき火を楽しんだ。
Kyanpu no yoru, maki ni hi wo tsukete takibi wo tanoshinda.
On the camping trip, we lit the firewood and enjoyed a bonfire.
薪が燃える音を聞きながら、静かに本を読んだ。
Maki ga moeru oto wo kikinagara, shizuka ni hon wo yonda.
I read quietly while listening to the crackle of burning firewood.
薪能は夏の夜に幻想的な雰囲気を醸し出す。
Takigi nō wa natsu no yoru ni gensōteki na fun'iki wo kamoshidasu.
Outdoor Noh theater by torchlight casts a dreamlike mood on summer nights.
昔は給料のことを薪水と呼ぶことがあった。
Mukashi wa kyūryō no koto wo shinsui to yobu koto ga atta.
In the old days, one's salary was sometimes called "shinsui" — firewood and water.
臥薪嘗胆の精神で、彼女は何年も努力を続けた。
Gashinshoutan no seishin de, kanojo wa nannen mo doryoku wo tsuzuketa.
Driven by the spirit of enduring hardship for a greater goal, she kept at it for years.
山から薪を集めることは、昔の人々の日常だった。
Yama kara takigi wo atsumeru koto wa, mukashi no hitobito no nichijō datta.
Gathering firewood from the mountains was part of daily life in the past.
Memory Tip
Break 薪 into its parts: 艹 (plant material) on top, 新 (new) on the bottom. Fresh plant material, newly cut — wood for the hearth. The phonetic link is built in: 新 reads シン, so 薪 does too. A simple mnemonic: Shin went to the forest and gathered shin-new wood (薪) to burn through winter. For a more visceral hook, return to 臥薪嘗胆 — a king sleeping on a rough bed of 薪 every night, keeping pain deliberately close. That image of firewood as both discomfort and driving force tends to stay with you.