Translation guide
Incense in Japanese is most commonly referred to as お香 (o-kō), a polite term used for fragrant materials burned for scent. There are also specific types like 線香 (senkō) for stick incense and 香 (kō) in more formal or traditional contexts. The verb 'to burn incense' is typically お香をたく (o-kō o taku).
The most common, everyday word for incense, used in homes and temples.
Polite and widely used term for incense. The prefix お adds politeness. Used for various forms of incense.
部屋でお香をたきました。
I burned incense in the room.
このお香はいい匂いですね。
This incense smells nice, doesn't it?
More formal or literary term for incense, often used in traditional contexts like tea ceremony or Buddhist rituals. Can also mean 'fragrance'.
香を聞く
to appreciate incense (in kōdō, the art of incense)
Specifically the thin sticks of incense that are burned.
Refers to stick incense, the most common form. Often used in Buddhist altars or for mosquito repellent.
仏壇に線香をあげる。
To offer stick incense at the Buddhist altar.
蚊取り線香をつける。
To light a mosquito coil.
The container or stand used to hold burning incense.
The action of lighting or burning incense.
The standard verb phrase for burning incense. たく means 'to burn' (incense, fire).
毎朝お香をたきます。
I burn incense every morning.
Specifically used for offering stick incense at a Buddhist altar or grave.
お墓で線香をあげた。
I offered incense at the grave.
The smell produced by incense.
General word for fragrance, often used for incense. Can be used with お香の香り (incense scent).
お香の香りが部屋に広がった。
The scent of incense filled the room.
お香 is the general polite term for incense, while 線香 specifically means stick incense. Use お香 for the concept or material, and 線香 when referring to the sticks themselves, especially in religious contexts.
Use たく for burning incense in general. あげる is used when offering incense at a temple or altar. つける is used for lighting mosquito coils (蚊取り線香).
線香立てに線香を立てる。
Stand the incense stick in the incense holder.