The sintering behavior and piezoelectric properties of the lead zirconate titanate (Pb(Zr,Ti)O-3, PZT)-lead zinc niobate (Pb(Zn1/3Nb2/3)O-3, PZN) system were investigated. The sintering temperature required for full densification of the PZT-PZN system was significantly lowered when the proportion of PZN was increased. The density of the specimen composed of 60% PZT and 40% PZN (0.6PZT-0.4PZN, Pb((Zr0.47Ti0.13)(0.6)- (Zn1/3Nb2/3)(0.4))O-3) sintered at 880degreesC for 4 h was 8.15 g/cm(3), which was >97% of the theoretical value. This improved densification behavior was attributed to the combined effects of the high sinterability of PZN and the stability of the PZT perovskite structure. The piezoelectric and dielectric properties of the 0.6PZT-0.4PZN specimen sintered at 880degreesC were comparable with those of a specimen with the same composition sintered at 1200degreesC for 2 h. The piezoelectric coefficient (d(33)) and the electromechanical coupling factor (kp) of the 0.6PZT-0.4PZN specimen sintered at 880degreesC were 460 pC/N and 0.6, respectively.