金属（きんぞく、kinzoku）
- metal

The Japanese word 金属 (きんぞく) means "metal." It refers to a class of chemical elements that are typically shiny, good conductors of heat and electricity, and can be forged into different shapes. The word encompasses various types of metals like iron, gold, silver, and aluminum. The 金属 itself is also used in a broader sense to refer to metallic objects or items made of metal.

⚫︎ 鉄金属 Translation: Iron metal/ Iron ⚫︎ 金金属 Translation: Gold metal/ Gold ⚫︎ アルミ金属 Translation: Aluminum metal/ Aluminum

You use 金属 when discussing or referring to metals and items made of metal. It's used in scientific contexts, everyday conversations, and when describing objects made from these materials. For instance, you could use it when talking about the properties of metals, the manufacturing of metallic goods, or the presence of 金属 in various objects.

The word 金属 is primarily written using kanji. The reading (pronunciation) is きんぞく, and the kanji are 金 (kin, meaning gold or money) and 属 (zoku, meaning belonging to or category). There are no common variations in okurigana for this word.

There aren't many direct synonyms for 金属. The word itself is quite specific. Depending on the context, you might use more specific terms for individual metals, such as: ⚫︎ 鉄 (てつ - tetsu): Iron ⚫︎ 金 (きん - kin): Gold ⚫︎ 銀 (ぎん - gin): Silver ⚫︎ 銅 (どう - dou): Copper

The antonyms, or opposite words, would depend on the context. If you're comparing 金属 to materials, you might use: ⚫︎ 非金属 (ひきんぞく - hikinzoku): nonmetal (opposite of 金属) ⚫︎ Or simply, names of other materials: 木 (き - ki): wood; プラスチック (purasuchikku): plastic

この橋は金属でできています。 ・Translation: This bridge is made of metal. ・Explanation: This sentence describes the material used to construct the bridge, using 金属 to refer to the metal itself.

科学の授業で金属の性質について学びました。 ・Translation: We learned about the properties of metals in science class. ・Explanation: This sentence uses 金属 in the context of a science lesson, referring to the general category of metals.

The word 金属 is a compound word formed from the kanji 金 (kin), which is a general term for metals and especially gold, and 属 (zoku), which denotes a group or category. Together, these characters represent the idea of metals as a group of elements with shared characteristics.