Phrase guide

joss stick

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

A stick of incense, especially (Taoism, Buddhism, etc.) those burned as an offering before a Chinese shrine.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

a slender stick of incense burned before a joss by the Chinese

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: incense

History

Etymology

From joss (“Chinese idol”) + stick.

Across languages

Translations

14 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Burmese: အမွှေးတိုင် (a.hmwe:tuing) — incense stick
  • Chinese Cantonese: 香 (hoeng1) — incense stick
  • Chinese Mandarin: 香 (xiāng) — incense stick
  • Finnish: suitsuke — incense stick
  • Finnish: suitsutuspuikko — incense stick
  • German: Räucherstäbchen — incense stick
  • Indonesian: hio — incense stick
  • Irish: bata túise — incense stick
  • Italian: bastoncini di incenso — incense stick
  • Malay: colok — incense stick
  • Polish: kadzidełko — incense stick
  • Tagalog: tanghas — incense stick
  • Thai: ธูป (tûup) — incense stick
  • Turkish: tütsü çubuğu — incense stick