'矿石' (kuàng shí) literally combines '矿' (kuàng), meaning 'mine' or 'mineral deposit', and '石' (shí), meaning 'stone' or 'rock'. Together, they refer specifically to naturally occurring rock or sediment that contains valuable minerals—especially metals like iron, copper, or gold—in concentrations high enough to make extraction economically viable. Unlike ordinary rocks, ore must contain extractable elements in usable form and quantity.

This term is used almost exclusively in geological, industrial, and technical contexts—not in daily conversation. You’ll encounter it in discussions about mining, metallurgy, resource management, or environmental science. It’s a formal, uncountable noun; native speakers typically say '一块矿石' (a piece of ore) or '各种矿石' (various types of ore) when quantifying it. Note that '矿石' never refers to refined metal—it only describes the raw, unprocessed material extracted from the earth.