Japanese word

材料

Pronunciation

Romajizairyō

Meaning

  • nouningredients

Example

料理の材料を買います。ryō ri no zai ryō o ka i ma su

I buy ingredients for cooking.

Illustration for 材料 (ingredients)

More examples

カレーの材料を買います。ka rē no zai ryō o ka i ma su

I buy the ingredients for curry.

買い物の前に、必要な材料をメモします。ka i mono no mae ni hitsu yō na zai ryō o me mo shi ma su

I make a note of the ingredients I need before shopping.

Core concept

Describes what goes into making something, with the meaning ranging from food in a dish to substances used in production.

Common phrases

  • 材料を買うzai ryō o ka u

    buy ingredients

  • 材料を使うzai ryō o tsuka u

    use ingredients

  • 材料をそろえるzai ryō o so ro e ru

    gather ingredients

Similar words

食材shokuzai: Food items used to prepare a dish.
原料genryō: Basic substances processed to make a product.
資材shizai: Materials and supplies used for construction or manufacturing.

Definition in Japanese

料理や物を作るために用いる食材や物質。ryō ri ya mono o tsuku ru ta me ni mochi i ru shoku zai ya bus shitsu

Word origin

The word 材料 (zairyō) consists of 材 (zai, "timber" or "material") and 料 (ryō, "material" or "amount").

Usage tips

  • Unlike the English word ingredients, this Japanese term also applies to supplies used in construction and manufacturing.

Other meanings

  • materialsnoun

Word lists with this word