WORD DETAIL
鉱石
こうせき
Examples
Included kanji
Study notes
1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning
- Structure: 鉱石 (こうせき) is a noun for ore, mined material containing useful mineral components.
- Basic usage: It appears when observing ore in a museum or sorting mined ore by type.
- 博物館で光る鉱石を観察した。 — We observed shining ore at the museum.
- 山から採れた鉱石を種類別に分けた。 — We sorted the ore mined from the mountain by type.
2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions
- Ore and mineral
- 鉱石 focuses on mined material from which useful components can be obtained, while 鉱物 names a mineral substance with characteristic natural properties.