The character 材 — “material”: how to write it and what it means
material
The Chinese character 材 is read cái and means “material”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 材
材 has 7 strokes. At each step the new stroke is highlighted — write them in the same order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical, a frame before what is inside it, and the bottom stroke of the frame last.
To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for 材, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 材 is made of
On the left, 木 “tree, wood”; on the right, 才 cái hints at the sound.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 材
- 材料materials, papers; materialHSK 4
- 身材figure, buildHSK 5
- 教材textbook, teaching materialsHSK 5
- 材质material, texture (of a product)HSK 6
- 木材timber, lumberHSK 6
- 题材subject matter, themeHSK 6
- 原材料raw materialsHSK 6
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 材?
材 has 7 strokes. They follow the usual rules: top to bottom, left to right, horizontal before vertical, outside before inside. The order of each stroke is shown on this page.
What does 材 mean?
材 means “material”. It appears in 材料 (“materials”), 身材 (“figure”), 教材 (“textbook”), 材质 (“material”).
How do you pronounce 材?
材 is read cái. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 材 have?
7 strokes.
More characters on the page “Chinese characters with meanings” and in the list of HSK characters by level; whole words are in the dictionary.
Write 材 yourself
In the lessons you write characters stroke by stroke with a finger or a mouse, and the course checks the order. You can start for free, no sign-up needed.
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