材

Spell out: + =

material; timber; ability; aptitude; a capable individual; coffin (old)

7 strokes Dict coverage rank #1,255 U+6750

Phono-semantic compound (形声字)

木 (semantic, “wood”) + 才 (phonetic, cái)

components: 木才

stuff · Heisig RSH #1875

木 tree + genie

Keyword method from Heisig's Remembering Simplified Hanzi.

Phonetic series: characters sharing the sound component 才

Siblings built with the same phonetic component 才 (cái) — compare how they read:

Character	Pinyin	Meaning
才 sound component	cái	ability, talent, gift; just, only
在	zài	at, in, on; to exist; used to indicate the present progressive tense
存	cún	to exist; to survive, to maintain; to keep, to store; to deposit
财	cái	riches, wealth, valuables
豺	chái	wolf; cruel, mean, wicked

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
大材小用	dà cái xiǎo yòng	(idiom) to use a talented person in a role far beneath their ability; a waste of talent
反面教材	fǎn miàn jiào cái	negative example; sth that teaches one what not to do
生物材料	shēng wù cái liào	bio-materials
高材生	gāo cái shēng	top student; high achiever; student of outstanding ability
不成材	bù chéng cái	worthless; good-for-nothing
材料科学	cái liào kē xué	materials science
放射性材料	fàng shè xìng cái liào	radioactive material
复合材料	fù hé cái liào	composite material
材料学	cái liào xué	materials science
五短身材	wǔ duǎn shēn cái	(of a person) short in stature
多层材	duō céng cái	plywood
圆形木材	yuán xíng mù cái	log
可裂变材料	kě liè biàn cái liào	fissionable material
就地取材	jiù dì qǔ cái	to draw on local resources; using materials at hand
原材料	yuán cái liào	raw and semifinished materials
不材	bù cái	(literary) (of a tree) useless for lumber; variant of 不才[bu4 cai2]
人材	rén cái	variant of 人才[ren2 cai2]
心材	xīn cái	pith; central core (of tree)
视听材料	shì tīng cái liào	evidence of material seen and heard; oral testimony
高材	gāo cái	great talent; rare capability; person of outstanding ability