Japanese word

繊維

Pronunciation

Romajisen'i

Meaning

  • nounfiber

Example

天然の繊維は肌にやさしいです。ten nen no sen i wa hada ni ya sa shi i de su

Natural fibers are gentle on the skin.

Illustration for 繊維 (fiber)

More examples

衣類の素材には、肌触りのよい繊維を選びます。i rui no so zai ni wa hada zawa ri no yo i sen i o era bi ma su

For clothing, I choose fibers that feel soft against the skin.

Core concept

A fiber is a thin, threadlike unit that forms part of a larger material and can be gathered or processed into fabric.

Common phrases

  • 食物繊維shoku motsu sen i

    dietary fiber

  • 化学繊維ka gaku sen i

    synthetic fiber

Similar words

糸ito: A long, thin strand made by twisting or joining fibers, used for sewing or weaving.
布nuno: A sheet of fabric made by weaving, knitting, or joining fibers.
素材sozai: A substance or material used to make a product or object.

Definition in Japanese

植物・動物・鉱物などを構成する、細長く糸状の物質。また、それを加工して作った糸や布の材料。shoku butsu dō butsu kō butsu na do o kō sei su ru hoso naga ku ito jō no bus shitsu ma ta so re o ka kō shi te tsuku tta ito ya nuno no zai ryō

Word origin

繊維 (sen'i) is a Sino-Japanese compound of 繊 (sen, "fine") and 維 (i, "to hold together"), describing fine strands that hold a material together.

Usage tips

  • In Japanese, 繊維 (sen'i) usually names a material strand, while 食物繊維 (shokumotsu sen'i) makes the dietary meaning explicit, even though English uses fiber for both.

Related words

  • 繊維質senishitsufibrousna-adjective

Word lists with this word