Japanese symbol for “archeology”

考古学

こうこがく

Romaji: koukogaku

archaeology; archeology

In Japanese, archeology is 考古学, read こうこがく (koukogaku).

Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.

Meanings

adj-no, n archaeology; archeology

Kanji and stroke order

考

consider, think over

on: コウ
kun: かんが.える、かんが.え

6 strokes · JLPT 3

古

old

on: コ
kun: ふる.い、ふる-、-ふる.す

5 strokes · JLPT 4

学

study, learning, science

on: ガク
kun: まな.ぶ

8 strokes · JLPT 4

Other Japanese words for “archeology”

Word	Reading	Meaning
考古	こうこ kouko	study of antiquities; archaeology; archeology

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

Word	Reading	Meaning
考え	かんがえ kangae	thinking; thought; view
参考	さんこう sankou	reference; consultation
考える	かんがえる kangaeru	to think (about, of); to think over; to ponder
思考	しこう shikou	thought; consideration; thinking
考慮	こうりょ kouryo	consideration; taking into account
考え方	かんがえかた kangaekata	way of thinking; point of view; opinion
古い	ふるい furui	old; aged; ancient
古代	こだい kodai	ancient times; distant past; antiquity
学校	がっこう gakkou	school

Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.