Translation guide
A vessel or device used to burn incense, typically for fragrance, religious ceremonies, or meditation. Japanese has several terms depending on the form, material, and context.
A container or stand for burning incense, used in homes, temples, or ceremonies.
The most common and general term for an incense burner, used in both religious and secular contexts. Can refer to various shapes and sizes.
仏壇に香炉を置いた。
I placed an incense burner on the Buddhist altar.
この香炉は陶器でできている。
This incense burner is made of ceramic.
Specifically a small stand or holder for a single incense stick, often used in home altars or during tea ceremony.
香立てに線香を立てて火をつけた。
I placed an incense stick in the holder and lit it.
A small lidded container used to hold incense powder or chips, often used in the incense ceremony (kōdō). Not a burner itself, but part of incense tools.
香盒から香木を取り出した。
I took out a piece of fragrant wood from the incense container.
A large, often ornate incense burner used in Buddhist temples or Shinto shrines.
A large incense burner placed in front of temple halls, where visitors can waft smoke over themselves for purification.
参拝者は常香炉の煙を頭に浴びせた。
The worshipper wafted smoke from the large incense burner over their head.
A stand or pedestal for an incense burner, often seen in temples. Sometimes the whole assembly is referred to this way.
香炉台に新しい香炉が据えられた。
A new incense burner was placed on the stand.
A small, often decorative burner that can be carried, used in processions or personal rituals.
A hand-held incense burner, traditionally used in Buddhist ceremonies or by aristocrats. Often has a long handle.
僧侶が手炉を持って歩いた。
The monk walked carrying a hand-held incense burner.
A specific type of hand-held incense burner with a handle, used in Buddhist rituals.
柄香炉で香を焚きながら読経した。
They chanted sutras while burning incense with a handled burner.
A small, often artistic burner used in the Japanese tea ceremony to perfume the room.
A brazier used in tea ceremony, primarily for heating water, but sometimes used to burn incense. Not exclusively an incense burner.
風炉に香を入れて客をもてなした。
We entertained the guests by putting incense in the brazier.
In tea ceremony, a small incense burner (often ceramic) is placed in the tokonoma alcove to scent the room.
茶室の床の間に香炉が飾られていた。
An incense burner was displayed in the alcove of the tea room.
香炉 (kōro) is a general term for any incense burner, often a bowl or container. 香立て (kōtate) specifically holds a single incense stick upright. Use 香立て for the small, simple holders found in many Japanese homes.
Incense burning is deeply tied to Buddhism, Shinto, and the traditional incense ceremony (香道, kōdō). When referring to temple incense burners, 常香炉 (jōkōro) is the large burner at the entrance. For the incense ceremony, specialized terms like 香盒 (kōgō) for the container and 聞香炉 (kikikōro) for the sniffing cup are used.