Chinese

Noun

素材

1. source material (of literature and art)

Japanese

Etymology

素 (そ, so: “element”) + 材 (ざい, zai: “material”)

Noun

素材 ‎(hiragana そざい, romaji sozai)

1. material for making something such as food, web page, art,
2. material for writing a document

Synonyms

• (making something): 原料, 材料