染料

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 染料, read せんりょう, means a dye used to give color to materials such as cloth.
• Basic usage: In 布を青く染めるため天然の染料を使った。, a natural dye was used to color cloth blue.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Material and process
  • 染料 is the coloring material, while 染色 is the dyeing process. Use 染料を使う for using the material and 染色する for carrying out the process.
• Context of 濃さ
  • 染料の濃さ refers to the dye's concentration. Distinguish it from an expression such as 布の色の濃さ, which describes how deep the finished cloth's color is.