Refers to financial resources or money used for investment or operations. Common in business and economic contexts.
We need capital to start a new business.
Used for something that serves as a foundation, resource, or raw material for an activity or quality. Often appears in compounds like 資料 (materials) or 資源 (resources).
character; qualities; disposition
Refers to a person's innate nature or temperament. Often used in formal or literary contexts, and in compounds like 資質 (nature, disposition).
He used his retirement money as capital to start a small shop.
This experience will serve as a basis for future activities.
He has the qualities of a leader.
This survey will likely serve as material for future policy.
資源 means concrete resources (natural, human, etc.), while 資 in this sense is a more abstract, literary word for material or basis.
資質 is the common word for someone's innate nature or aptitude, while 資 alone carries the same idea but is used mainly in literary or formal compounds.
資金 is the everyday word for money set aside for a specific purpose, whereas 資 alone is a formal, rarely standalone term for funds.
資料 refers to actual documents or data used as material for study, while 資 alone is a vaguer, more formal term for a basis or resource.
The kanji 資 originally relates to goods or property, and by extension came to mean resources, capital, or innate qualities. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the character is conventionally associated with these meanings.
goods; materials; supplies
materials; resources; supplies
nature; disposition; qualities
foreign capital; foreign investment
contribute to; be instrumental in; help bring about · finance; provide funds for
capital; principal
capital increase; increase of capital · issue of new shares; share issuance
school expenses; education fund
joint investment; partnership capital
financial resources; means; wealth
reduction of capital; capital reduction
capital stock; share capital; registered capital
recyclable waste; recyclable garbage
low-interest funds
labor and capital; workers and capitalists
innate nature; natural disposition
bride price; bride-wealth
large capital; enormous fund
relying on someone as one's teacher
short-term loan; short-term funds
brilliant qualities; fine character; British capital