Materials (Wood, Metal, Plastic) in Chinese 材料
cáiliào
Material in Chinese is 材料 (cái liào).
Also searched for as: wood, plastic, metal, what is it made of.
Wood, metal, glass or plastic? 15 essential what it's made of words in Mandarin Chinese, with pinyin and English. Open it in the app to hear each word, tick off the ones you know and turn them into flashcards.
The word for material in Chinese is 材料 (cái liào), and the key question for this topic is 这是什么做的？ (zhè shì shén me zuò de?), 'what's this made of?'. With words like 木头 (mù tou), wood, 塑料 (sù liào), plastic, and 玻璃 (bō li), glass, you can describe almost any everyday object, from furniture and clothes to jewellery and kitchenware.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 材料 | cái liào | material |
| 木头 | mù tou | wood |
| 金属 | jīn shǔ | metal |
| 铁 | tiě | iron |
| 玻璃 | bō li | glass |
| 塑料 | sù liào | plastic |
| 纸 | zhǐ | paper |
| 布 | bù | cloth; fabric |
| 棉 | mián | cotton |
| 皮 | pí | leather; skin |
| 石头 | shí tou | stone |
| 金 | jīn | gold |
| 银 | yín | silver |
| 陶瓷 | táo cí | ceramic; porcelain |
| 橡胶 | xiàng jiāo | rubber |
Usage tips
- The pattern for 'made of' is X 是 Y 做的: 这张桌子是木头做的 (zhè zhāng zhuō zi shì mù tou zuò de). In speech you can shorten it to 这张桌子是木头的.
- Before a noun, a material often joins on directly: 塑料袋 (sù liào dài), plastic bag, 木桌 (mù zhuō), wooden table, 金戒指 (jīn jiè zhi), gold ring.
- 皮 (pí) means leather, skin and peel: 真皮 (zhēn pí) is genuine leather, while 苹果皮 (píng guǒ pí) is apple peel.
Common mistakes
- Leaving off 的 or 做的, as in 这个包是皮 → finish with 的: 这个包是皮的 (zhè gè bāo shì pí de).
- Using 金 to mean metal in general → 金 (jīn) on its own means gold; metal is 金属 (jīn shǔ).
Mini dialogue
- A这个杯子真好看，是什么做的？Zhè gè bēi zi zhēn hǎo kàn, shì shén me zuò de?This mug's really nice. What's it made of?
- B是陶瓷的，我在景德镇买的。Shì táo cí de, wǒ zài Jǐng dé zhèn mǎi de.It's ceramic. I bought it in Jingdezhen.
- A我还以为是塑料的呢！Wǒ hái yǐ wéi shì sù liào de ne!I thought it was plastic!
- B不是，你摸摸，比塑料重多了。小心点，跟玻璃一样容易碎。Bù shì, nǐ mō mo, bǐ sù liào zhòng duō le. Xiǎo xīn diǎn, gēn bō li yī yàng róng yì suì.No, feel it, it's much heavier than plastic. Careful, it breaks as easily as glass.
Example sentences
- 这是什么材料做的？What's this made of?
- 这张桌子是木头做的。This table is made of wood.
- 这把椅子是金属的。This chair is metal.
- 铁会生锈。Iron rusts.
- 小心，玻璃会碎。Careful, glass breaks.
- 少用塑料袋。Use fewer plastic bags.
- 这个盒子是纸做的。This box is made of paper.
- 这块布很软。This fabric is very soft.
- 我喜欢穿棉的衣服。I like wearing cotton clothes.
- 这是真皮的包。This bag is real leather.
- 河边有很多石头。There are lots of stones by the river.
- 这个戒指是金的。This ring is gold.
- 她戴着银手镯。She's wearing a silver bracelet.
- 景德镇的陶瓷很有名。Jingdezhen porcelain is famous.
- 轮胎是橡胶做的。Tyres are made of rubber.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The What it's made of speaking island has 8 everyday questions about what it's made of to prepare your own answers to.