King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Japanese symbol for “science”

Romaji: kagaku
science

In Japanese, science is , read (kagaku).

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

  1. n science
  2. vs, vt to think about scientifically; to think in terms of science

Written forms: . Readings: .

Kanji and stroke order

department, course, section
on: カ
9 strokes · JLPT 2
study, learning, science
on: ガク
kun: まな.ぶ
8 strokes · JLPT 4

Other Japanese words for “science”

WordReadingMeaning
りか rikascience (natural sciences and related fields, incl. mathematics, engineering, medicine, etc.)
りがく rigaku(physical) science; natural science
がくじゅつ gakujutsuscience; learning; scholarship
サイエンス saiensuscience
サイエンス saiensuScience (journal)

Related words

Words that share a kanji.

WordReadingMeaning
きょうかしょ kyoukashotextbook; coursebook; schoolbook
げか gekasurgery (branch of medicine)
がっか gakkasubject (of study); course of study
かもく kamoku(school) subject; curriculum; course
しか shikadentistry
がっこう gakkouschool
だいがく daigakuuniversity; college
がくせい gakuseistudent (esp. a university student)

See also: Chinese symbol for “science”.

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.

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