Abstract Preparing Cd₃As₂, which is a three-dimensional (3D) Dirac semimetal in certain crystal orientation, on Si is highly desirable as such a sample may well be fully compatible with existing Si CMOS technology. However, there is a dearth of such a study regarding Cd₃As₂ films grown on Si showing the chiral anomaly. Here, for the first time, we report the novel preparation and fabrication technique of a Cd₃As₂ (112) film on a Si (111) substrate with a ZnTe (111) buffer layer which explicitly shows the chiral anomaly with a nontrivial Berry’s phase of π. Despite the Hall carrier density ( n 3 D ≈ 9.42 × 10 17 cm⁻³) of our Cd₃As₂ film, which is almost beyond the limit for the portents of a 3D Dirac semimetal to emerge, we observe large linear magnetoresistance in a perpendicular magnetic field and negative magnetoresistance in a parallel magnetic field. These results clearly demonstrate the chiral magnetic effect and 3D Dirac semimetallic behavior in our silicon-based Cd₃As₂ film. Our tailoring growth of Cd₃As₂ on a conventional substrate such as Si keeps the sample quality, while also achieving a low carrier concentration.