Japanese symbol for “fossil”

化石

かせき

Romaji: kaseki

fossil

In Japanese, fossil is 化石, read かせき (kaseki).

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 fossil
n, vi, vs petrifaction; petrification; fossilization; fossilisation

Kanji and stroke order

化

change, take the form of, influence

on: カ、ケ
kun: ば.ける、ば.かす、ふ.ける、け.する

4 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
文化	ぶんか bunka	culture; civilization; civilisation
変化	へんか henka	change; variation; alteration
強化	きょうか kyouka	strengthening; intensifying; reinforcement
悪化	あっか akka	deterioration; getting worse; worsening
化学	かがく kagaku	chemistry
化粧	けしょう keshou	make-up; makeup; cosmetics
石油	せきゆ sekiyu	oil; petroleum
宝石	ほうせき houseki	gem; jewel; precious stone

See also: Chinese symbol for “fossil”.

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.