Explore 材 in words for physical materials and people’s abilities. Learn each reading with the complete word.

The idea

材 has seven strokes and is read ざい in these compounds: 木材（もくざい）, 材料（ざいりょう）, 人材（じんざい） and 取材（しゅざい）. Follow the linked diagram for stroke order.

Patterns to compare
Japanese wordReadingExample in context
木材もくざいI made this desk from lumber.
材料ざいりょうI bought ingredients for the meal.
人材じんざいThe company is looking for talented people.
取材しゅざいI visited the town to gather material for a report.

Examples

  • この机つくえは木材もくざいで作つくりました。I made this desk from lumber.
  • 料理りょうりの材料ざいりょうを買かいました。I bought ingredients for the meal.
  • 新あたらしい建材けんざいを選えらびます。I will choose new building materials.
  • この記事きじの題材だいざいは環境かんきょうです。The subject of this article is the environment.
  • 会社かいしゃは優秀ゆうしゅうな人材じんざいを探さがしています。The company is looking for talented people.
  • 取材しゅざいのために町まちを訪おとずれました。I visited the town to gather material for a report.

Read-aloud uses a synthetic Japanese voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.

Watch out

材料 can mean ingredients or materials according to context; 人材 refers to useful people, not timber. Do not confuse 材 with the shorter character 才.

Try it yourself

  1. Write the reading of 木材 in hiragana.

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    もくざい

    木材 is もくざい: wood used as material, as in the desk example.

  2. Write the reading of 材料 in hiragana.

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    ざいりょう

    材料 is ざいりょう: ingredients in the cooking example, or materials in other contexts.

  3. Choose the missing kanji: 人＿（じんざい）［材／才］.

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    材

    材 completes 人材（じんざい）, meaning capable people or talent.

Use it today

Write 材 following the diagram. Cover the table, read 木材 and 材料 aloud, then make a sentence with one.