材質

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 材質 is read as ざいしつ and is a noun for the kind and properties of material from which an object is made.
• Basic usage: Use 材質が表示される for listed material information and 用途に合う材質を選ぶ for selecting material by purpose.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Contrast with 材料
  • 材料 focuses on material used as an input to make something; 材質 identifies what a finished object consists of and the qualities of that material.
• Contrast with 素材
  • 素材 broadly covers raw or source material, including creative source material, while 材質 concerns the physical composition and properties of an object.