Furfuryl alcohol is an organic compound containing furans substituted with hydroxymethyl groups. It is a colorless liquid, but aged samples are amber in color. It has a faint burning smell and a bitter taste. It is miscible with water but unstable in water. It is soluble in common organic solvents.

Furfural, also known as 2-furfuraldehyde, is the same substance as glycoaldehydes. Its scientific name is α-furaldehyde, which is a derivative of hydrogen atom substituted by aldehyde group on furan 2 site. It is originally made from rice bran coheated with dilute acid, so it is called furfural.