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題材 (だいざい, daizai) Japanese meaning: subject matter | Kotomora
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材ざい
は
戦せん
争そう
体たい
験けん
だ
。
The subject matter of this novel is the experience of war.
He paints pictures using everyday events as his material.
Usage patterns 〈 事こと 〉 を 題だい 材ざい にする to use something as the subject matter (of a work)
This movie is based on a true story.
〈 事こと 〉 を 題だい 材ざい とした 〈 物もの 〉 a work based on a certain subject matter
He wrote a novel based on the theme of war.
〈 事こと 〉 から 題だい 材ざい を 得え る to draw material/inspiration from something
He draws his material from everyday life.
Related words テーマ is the broader, more abstract theme or topic of a work, while 題材 is the concrete subject matter or material used to build it.
素材 refers to raw material in a general sense (ingredients, data, fabric, etc.), whereas 題材 is specifically material chosen for an artistic or academic work.
主題 is the main theme or central idea a work expresses, while 題材 is the subject matter or source material the work is drawn from.
モチーフ is a borrowed art term for a recurring motif or inspiration behind a work, while 題材 is the everyday word for the subject matter itself.
Etymology From 題 (topic, title) and 材 (material, stuff). The combination straightforwardly means 'topic material'.
