料 liào — material; stuff; grain; feed; to expect; to anticipate
做这道菜需要很多材料。Zuò zhè dào cài xū yào hěn duō cái liào.Making this dish requires a lot of ingredients.
Common words: 饮料 (yǐn liào)、资料 (zī liào)、材料 (cái liào)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "material"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "material", including 料 (liào), 材 (cái). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "material" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 料 (liào), 材 (cái) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span liào, cái — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 料 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 料 liàomaterial; stuff; grain; feed; to expect; to anticipateUseful words: 饮料, 资料
- 材 cáimaterialUseful words: 教材, 材料
Common words for these 2 "material" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 料 (liào) — so "material" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
饮料yǐn liàodrink; beverage资料zī liàomaterial; resources; data; information材料cái liào(raw) material; data; (fig.) person who has the potential to do the job教材jiào cáiteaching material材料cái liào(raw) material; data; (fig.) person who has the potential to do the job身材shēn cáistature; build (height and weight); figure
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 2 ways to say "material".
材 cái — material
盖房子需要很多建筑材料。Gài fáng zi xū yào hěn duō jiàn zhù cái liào.Building a house requires a lot of construction materials.
Common words: 教材 (jiào cái)、材料 (cái liào)、身材 (shēn cái)
All 2 characters
Open 料、材 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.