The ability of calcined bauxite to enhance water retention of soil was examined by measuring water-retention curves of calcined bauxite, Toyoura sand and laterite soil. Drying rates of mixtures of calcined bauxite and laterite soil and calcined bauxite and Toyoura sand were also measured. Bauxite calcined at 700degreesC in a muffle furnace for 1 h could absorb about 30 wt% of water relative to the weight of the bauxite. The water-retention curve of the calcined bauxite indicated that water content gradually decreased with increase in pF up to 4.5, and the maximum slope was at pF = 5.5. Therefore, the calcined bauxite can enhance the water retention of both Toyoura sand and laterite soil. The pF changes of the samples during the drying experiment showed that the drying rate of laterite soil decreased at pF values higher than 5.0 on mixing it with calcined bauxite. For the mixture of bauxite with Toyoura sand, the drying rate became smaller than that of the sand alone at pF values higher than 3.5, indicating that the mixture of calcined bauxite with Toyoura sand was more effective than the laterite soil-bauxite mixture.