Chemistry term referring to rare-earth elements or their compounds. Often used in compounds like 希土類 (rare earths).
Rare-earth elements are essential for high-tech products.
rare earth
Standard modern kanji spelling for 'rare earth'.
Contains the outdated kanji 稀; rarely used in modern writing.
From 希 (rare) + 土 (earth), a direct translation of the English 'rare earth'. The spelling 稀土 uses the older character 稀 for 'rare'.