material, timber
On'yomi (音読み)
- ザイ
- サイ
Kun'yomi (訓読み)
- ざい
About this kanji
The kanji 「材」 primarily means "material" or "timber" and is often used as a noun. You will commonly encounter it in compounds like 材料 (ざいりょう), meaning "materials" used in cooking or construction, and 木材 (もくざい), which refers to "lumber" or wood for building. Another interesting compound is 才能 (さいのう), meaning "ability" or "talent," which shows that this kanji can also relate to qualities beyond physical materials. When using this kanji, keep in mind that it generally refers to substances or resources, so it’s best used in contexts where you're discussing things used to create or build.
Built from
Example sentences
この家具は高級材で作られている。
This furniture is made from high-quality materials.
Meanings across languages
- English
- material, timber
- Tiếng Việt
- vật liệu, gỗ
- 日本語
- 材, 材料, 木材
- 한국어
- 재료
- 中文
- 材料
- id
- bahan
- th
- วัสดุ
- es
- material
- fr
- matériau
- de
- Material, Fertigungsmaterial
- pt
- material
Common compounds
- 材料ざいりょうmaterials, ingredients
- 木材もくざいlumber, timber
- 才能さいのうability, talent
- 器材きざいequipment, gear
Want to actually learn this kanji?
The dictionary is one view. The Kanji 360 app wraps every character with mnemonic images, audio readings, stroke-order animation, story context, and SRS scheduling — free to start on iPhone, iPad, and Android.