Cubic boron nitride sintered material and cutting tool

A cubic boron nitride sintered material comprising cubic boron nitride particles, a binding phase, and an intervening phase,

• wherein the cubic boron nitride particles account for 20 vol % or more and 80 vol % or less in the cubic boron nitride sintered material,
• a total of the volume percentages of the binding phase and the intervening phase is, when the volume percentage of the cubic boron nitride sintered material is 100 vol %, a numerical value obtained by subtracting a volume percentage of the cubic boron nitride particles from the 100 vol %,
• the binding phase includes one or more components selected from the group consisting of compounds and solid solutions,
• each of the compounds and the solid solutions includes a first element and a second element,
• the first element is one or more selected from the group consisting of nitrogen, carbon, boron, and oxygen,
• the second element is one or more selected from the group consisting of Group 4 elements, Group 5 elements, Group 6 elements, and aluminum in the periodic table,
• the intervening phase intervenes between the cubic boron nitride particles and the binding phase,
• the intervening phase includes aluminum, nitrogen, boron, and oxygen,
• a total of an average value of the atomic concentrations of aluminum included in the intervening phase and an average value of the atomic concentrations of nitrogen included in the intervening phase is 50.0 at % or more, and
• a ratio of an average value of the atomic concentrations of nitrogen included in the intervening phase to an average value of the atomic concentrations of boron included in the intervening phase is more than 1.00.