noun
Refers to the dark, dense hardwood from trees of the genus Diospyros, used for furniture, musical instruments, and carvings.
このピアノの鍵盤は黒檀でできている。
The keys of this piano are made of ebony.
黒檀は非常に硬くて重い木材だ。
Ebony is a very hard and heavy wood.
紫檀 (rosewood) is another dark, high-quality hardwood, but it is typically reddish-brown, while 黒檀 is deep black.
From Chinese 黑檀 (hēitán), literally 'black sandalwood'. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the spelling is conventionally associated with the dark wood.