What is the material: ざいしつ or ざいりょう?


When asking about what particular thing is made of, this may be asked like
this:

> [材質]{ざいしつ}は何ですか。
>
> What's the material? —
> [Tatoeba](http://tatoeba.org/eng/sentences/show/170236)
>
> What's the material? — Tanaka Corpus (Source: [from weblio page
> 1](http://ejje.weblio.jp/sentence/content/%E6%9D%90%E8%B3%AA))

Then, the answer may be given like this:

> [材質]{ざいしつ}は、紙・木・布等である/です。
>
> They are made of materials such as paper, wood or cloth. -
> Wikipedia日英京都関連文書対訳コーパス (Source: [from weblio page
> 2](http://ejje.weblio.jp/sentence/content/%E6%9D%90%E8%B3%AA/2))

**Different word choice**

When asking similar question about a dish or food, ざいりょう is used instead:

> すき焼きはどんな[材料]{ざいりょう}を使うのですか。
>
> What is [sukiyaki](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sukiyaki) made of? —
> [Tatoeba](http://tatoeba.org/eng/sentences/show/214994)

Then, the answer has word choice that is certain:

> [材料]{ざいりょう}は、肉・野菜・[出汁]{だし}です。 ○
>
> [材質]{ざいしつ}は、肉・野菜・[出汁]{だし}です。 ✕

I am aware that the word ざいりょう is used to mean materials or ingredients in
cooking. But earlier examples are hinting that ざいしつ is used to mean
materials... other than cooking?

Based on the kanji used in each words, [質]{しつ} means quality and [料]{りょう}
means quantity. Could it be that 材質 is used for uncountable things, and 材料 is
used for countable things?

Then again, first example has mentioned "paper, wood or cloth"; Those are
countable things but seems to be _not_ counted on purpose, or for some reason
that I may not aware.

**Question 質問**

Hence my question: When asking "what is the material", which word to use
([材質]{ざいしつ} or [材料]{ざいりょう}) and when should either be used?

ここで質問です:「この物は、何でできていますか」と尋ねるとき、どの言葉（材質・材料）をどんなときに使いますか？




Actually there are more words qualified.

  * **材料**  
The stuff used to make something as a part of it. The word tends to be used
from makers' standpoint. In other word, 材料は何ですか？ is effectively "What _can I_
make it of?". Also it has a figurative meaning to mean information or data for
mental activity.

> もっと判断材料が欲しい。 _I need more food for thought._

  * **材質**  
Mainly suggests the look, touch, feel, or other properties of the material, or
what the material _is like_. Indeed it's often synonymous with what the
material _is_ , but for example, asking 材質は何ですか？ right in front of a product
can be a nonsense, because you already know when you see it.

  * **素材**  
The original stuff before processing into something. Unlike 材料 meant to serve
the product by their general nature, this word expects the material has some
specific characteristics (a certain type of paper, meat bred in a certain
region...) responsible for the product's certain feature. We have many 写真素材
"stock photos" on the internet, but we don't call them × 写真材料, because there
are no two identical photos usable in the same way.

  * **原料**  
The stuff used to transform into something. Unlike 材料, the word suggests that
the material no longer retains its form when they make product from it, like
petroleum for plastics, or soybeans for tofu etc. When the distinction of 原料
and 材料 doesn't matter, we call them 原材料 (as the term _ingredients_ on food
labeling).

  * **マテリアル**  
In some cases you want to directly translate English _material_ , or for
virtual material in the computer graphics field.

Also, if you just want to say "what is the material", you don't always have to
use any of words above.

> 何（で／から）できていますか？ -- suitable for 原料-type materials  
>  何を使っていますか？ -- suitable for 材料-type materials




Actually there are more words qualified.

  * **材料**  
The stuff used to make something as a part of it. The word tends to be used
from makers' standpoint. In other word, 材料は何ですか？ is effectively "What _can I_
make it of?". Also it has a figurative meaning to mean information or data for
mental activity.

> もっと判断材料が欲しい。 _I need more food for thought._

  * **材質**  
Mainly suggests the look, touch, feel, or other properties of the material, or
what the material _is like_. Indeed it's often synonymous with what the
material _is_ , but for example, asking 材質は何ですか？ right in front of a product
can be a nonsense, because you already know when you see it.

  * **素材**  
The original stuff before processing into something. Unlike 材料 meant to serve
the product by their general nature, this word expects the material has some
specific characteristics (a certain type of paper, meat bred in a certain
region...) responsible for the product's certain feature. We have many 写真素材
"stock photos" on the internet, but we don't call them × 写真材料, because there
are no two identical photos usable in the same way.

  * **原料**  
The stuff used to transform into something. Unlike 材料, the word suggests that
the material no longer retains its form when they make product from it, like
petroleum for plastics, or soybeans for tofu etc. When the distinction of 原料
and 材料 doesn't matter, we call them 原材料 (as the term _ingredients_ on food
labeling).

  * **マテリアル**  
In some cases you want to directly translate English _material_ , or for
virtual material in the computer graphics field.

Also, if you just want to say "what is the material", you don't always have to
use any of words above.

> 何（で／から）できていますか？ -- suitable for 原料-type materials  
>  何を使っていますか？ -- suitable for 材料-type materials

