Dictionary › 材

材

cái

HSK 4 Character

What 材 means

1. material
2. timber
3. ability
4. aptitude
5. a capable individual
6. coffin (old)

Example sentences

• 木材可燃。
  Wood burns.
• 材料损坏了。
  This material is ruined.
• 速成好身材。
  Get fit fast.
• 材料将被提供。
  Materials will be provided.
• 日本缺乏原材料。
  Rìběn quēfá yuáncáiliào.
  Japan is lacking in raw materials.
• 我想汤姆是个蠢材。
  Wǒ xiǎng Tāngmǔ shì gè chǔncái.
  I think Tom's an idiot.

Words starting with 材

• 材料cái liào(raw) material; data; (fig.) person who has the potential to do the job
• 材质cái zhìtexture of timber; quality of material; material (that sth is made of)
• 材料学cái liào xuématerials science
• 材料科学cái liào kē xuématerials science
• 材积cái jīvolume (of timber)

Words containing 材

• 教材jiào cáiteaching material
• 身材shēn cáistature; build (height and weight); figure
• 题材tí cáisubject matter
• 器材qì cáiequipment; material
• 素材sù cáisource material (in literature and art)
• 棺材guān caicoffin
• 木材mù cáiwood
• 建材jiàn cáibuilding materials
• 原材料yuán cái liàoraw and semifinished materials
• 钢材gāng cáisteel (as raw material); steel sheets, bars, tubes, ingots, wire etc
• 药材yào cáimedicinal ingredient
• 取材qǔ cáito collect material
• 高材生gāo cái shēngtop student; high achiever; student of outstanding ability
• 成材chéng cáito make sth of oneself; to become a person who is worthy of respect…
• 板材bǎn cáisheet materials (wood, metal, plastic etc)
• 因材施教yīn cái shī jiào(idiom) to teach in accordance with the student's aptitude…
• 耗材hào cáiconsumables; to consume raw materials
• 不材bù cái(literary) (of a tree) useless for lumber; variant of 不才
• 主材zhǔ cáiprincipal or main material (engineering)
• 型材xíng cáiextruded profile
• 基材jī cáisubstrate
• 干材gàn cáicapability; capable person
• 心材xīn cáipith; central core (of tree)
• 边材biān cáisapwood (between vascular cambium and pith inside growing wood)

Characters built on 才

These share the phonetic component 才 (cái), which is why their readings rhyme. Learning them as a family is far cheaper than learning them one at a time.

• 财cáimoney; wealth; riches
• 豺cháidog-like animal; ravenous beast; dhole (Cuon Alpinus)

Characters that look like 材

Easy to confuse on sight. Compare them side by side once and the pair stops costing you.

• 财cáimoney; wealth; riches
• 村cūnvillage; (dialect) to scold; rustic; boorish
• 拍pāito pat; to clap; to slap
• 祈qíto implore; to pray; to request
• 衬chèn(of garments) against the skin; to line; lining
• 衫shāngarment; jacket with open slits in place of sleeves

Sounds the same

Read cái, tone for tone, but written differently.

• 才ability; talent; sb of a certain type; a capable individual
• 财money; wealth; riches
• 裁to cut out (as a dress); to cut; to trim