材

Derived/compound character:

木 (tree, wood radical) – semantic, indicating wood or timber.

才 (talent, ability) – phonetic element, also suggesting inherent quality.

材 was created by adding 木 to 才 to specify “timber of good quality.”

Thus it can be interpreted both as a phono-semantic compound (木 + 才) and as a semantic compound (talent/ability + wood → quality timber).

Related formation: 財 (“wealth”) is likewise built on 才 as phonetic.

재목 (材木) – timber, lumber

재료 (材料) – material

인재 (人材) – talented person

재질 (材質) – quality of material

자재 (資材) – resources, materials

In Confucian texts, 材 often metaphorically refers to human talent or ability, just as fine wood is suited for building.

Commonly used in East Asian personal names and idioms referring to ability or quality.