Japanese symbol for “calcite”

方解石

ほうかいせき

Romaji: houkaiseki

calcite

In Japanese, calcite is 方解石, read ほうかいせき (houkaiseki).

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

n calcite (min)

Kanji and stroke order

方

direction, person, alternative

on: ホウ
kun: かた、-かた、-がた

4 strokes · JLPT 3

解

unravel, notes, key

on: カイ、ゲ
kun: と.く、と.かす、と.ける、ほど.く

13 strokes · JLPT 2

石

stone

on: セキ、シャク、コク
kun: いし

5 strokes · JLPT 2

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

Word	Reading	Meaning
方法	ほうほう houhou	method; way; manner
一方	いっぽう ippou	one (esp. of two); the other; one way
地方	ちほう chihou	district; region; area
方向	ほうこう houkou	direction; orientation; bearing
仕方	しかた shikata	way; method; means
方針	ほうしん houshin	policy; course; plan (of action)
理解	りかい rikai	understanding; comprehension; appreciation
解決	かいけつ kaiketsu	settlement; solution; resolution
石油	せきゆ sekiyu	oil; petroleum

See also: Chinese symbol for “calcite”.

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.