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木【き】や紙【かみ】でできたストローが、当【あ】たり前【まえ】の時代【じだい】がすぐそこにやってきている

The era when straws made of wood or paper will be the norm is just around the corner.

https://www.fnn.jp/articles/-/340720

I am aware of the words

木造【もくぞう】 wooden

木製【もくせい】 wooden

and of course 木曜日【もくようび】 "wood-day" (Thursday)

but j-talk.com produced the reading 木【き】 for the sentence above. Is it correct?

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    Do you understand the different between kun'yomi and on'yomi?
    – istrasci
    Commented Aug 18, 2022 at 19:01
  • Does this answer your question: japanese.stackexchange.com/a/6200/9831 / japanese.stackexchange.com/a/52179/9831 See also: japanese.stackexchange.com/a/52180/9831 If you see the character on its own, you've likely got a kunyomi. (...) If you see the character with other kanji, it's likely an onyomi.
    – chocolate ♦
    Commented Aug 19, 2022 at 15:01
  • Thank you for pointing out the difference between on and kun readings. There are exceptions to the rule, which is why I posted my question. 水: Kun: みず、 みず- On: スイ お水【おみず】drinking water 水筒【すいとう】water bottle 水着【みずぎ】swimsuit 水際【みずぎわ】coastline 木 Kun: き、 こ- On: ボク、 モク 木材【もくざい】lumber, timber, wood 木炭【もくたん】charcoal 白木【しらき】plain wood, unfinished woodwork 木箱【きばこ】wooden box
    – Ned Reif
    Commented Aug 19, 2022 at 17:00

2 Answers 2

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Apparently 木（モク） is a jargon and can be used by architects and other professionals related to the field, presumably to make it less ambiguous.

https://a-a-o.net/20120208/

現場は木（モク）の迫力ある光景です。

https://dlisv03.media.osaka-cu.ac.jp/contents/osakacu/kiyo/111H0000010-2-07.pdf

木（モク）でも、耐火性能が高い、不燃材扱いのものがありますね。

For the vast majority of cases 木 as a material and as a non-compound word is read き. Stories written by journalists like this one would be among them.

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Generally difference in reading does not imply that of meaning. 木 means something related to trees regardless of how it is read.

If it appears just by itself (i.e. as 木 without any preceding or following kanji), it should be read き.

FYI: 木材 is commonly もくざい, but きざい seems acceptable as well.

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    I feel like き＼ざい would almost always be (mis)understood as 機材 if used in speech...
    – Darius Jahandarie
    Commented Aug 19, 2022 at 19:35

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