Joss Sticks vs. Incense Sticks: What’s the Difference Bottom of Form

Commonly when people are talking about incense, they will use different terms interchangeably. One of the terms that many people use, when referring to different types of incense is “Joss Stick”. So, what is a ‘Joss stick” and is it different to a regular incense stick?

The short answer to this question is “yes and no”. Yeah, I know- confusing. Basically, there appears to be no actual difference between a Joss stick and an incense stick- EXCEPT in its intended use.

So How Do Joss Sticks & Incense Differ??

To know how incense sticks differ from Joss sticks, we first need to know what each of the terms are referring to.

The term incense stick simply refers to a stick that is composed of fragrant material (incense) sometimes moulded around an actual stick made of bamboo or other wood, which when lit, burns and releases fragrant smoke.

The term Joss, according to Wikipedia, refers to a statue that is thought to be the dwelling place of a specific deity.

And the term Joss stick refers to an incense stick that is given as an offering & burned

in front of a ‘Joss’. The offering of Joss sticks is part of a larger ritual (as opposed to the simple act of lighting incense) and can be accompanied by the offering of food and drink such as tea and fruit. The rising smoke from the Joss stick is said to represent the receipt of prayers in the spiritual world.

Joss sticks can be given as an offering to deities or ancestors and are often lit in odd numbered bundles of 3, 5 or sometimes 9 sticks as odd numbers are associated with positive ‘Yang’ energy within Chinese culture.

So, in conclusion, Joss sticks are specifically used as offerings, while incense sticks can be used for anything from offerings to scenting your home.

As you can see, the clear difference between everyday incense sticks and Joss sticks is in the intention behind their use, not in their physical attributes.

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References

Joss stick. (2024, November 8). In Wikipedia. https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joss_stick

Jingxiang. (2025, May 27). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jingxiang

Incense. (2025, July 5). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incense

Joss (Chinese statue). (2017, May 24). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joss_(Chinese_statue)

Welcome to Chinatown Inc. (n.d.). Joss Paper and Incense for Qingming Festival. Welcome to Chinatown. https://welcometochinatown.com/guides/qingming-festival