Charcoal is a carbon-containing substance made from wood, naturally black and powdery. Charcoal is made from wood by heating it in an "airless" (minimal oxygen) space at a high temperature. The wood will not burn, but instead turn into charcoal. The by-product of making charcoal is tar and turpentine.

Binchōtan
Ogatan

People use it for different things such as cooking on a barbecue grill, and in painting.