How to say "cigarette" in Japanese

• タバコJLPT N5approx.Common
  nounThe everyday word: it covers tobacco in general and is what people normally say for a cigarette; it can also mean a cigar, and is usually written in kana alone.
• もく
  nounA colloquial short form, like English 'cig' or 'fag': casual talk for a cigarette. It is less common than タバコ and not the neutral choice in careful speech.
• シガレット
  nounA loanword meaning exactly 'cigarette', not tobacco in general. Less common than タバコ, it is seldom the word you want in ordinary conversation, where タバコ does the job.
• 巻きタバコまきタバコ
  nounLiterally 'rolled tobacco': a less common, more explicit term that covers both cigarettes and cigars. It is not the casual everyday word; for that, タバコ remains the usual choice.
  彼かれはテーブルの上うえにひと箱ばこの紙巻かみまきタバコを置おいた。↗

  He put a pack of cigarettes on the table.
• 紙巻たばこかみまきタバコ
  nounLiterally 'paper-rolled tobacco': a precise term for a cigarette only, not tobacco in general. It is less common than タバコ, which is the everyday word you will normally want.

Choose 「タバコ」, the common everyday word, for cigarettes in general; 「もく」 is a colloquial 'cig'; 「シガレット」, 「巻きタバコ」 and 「紙巻たばこ」 are less common alternatives — the last two explicit terms for rolled tobacco, with 「紙巻たばこ」 meaning cigarette only.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

• たばこtobacco
• もくcigarette
• シガレットcigarette
• 巻きタバコまきタバコcigarette
• 紙巻たばこかみまきタバコcigarette
• 紙巻きかみまきcigarette