Japanese symbol for “sciences”
理系
りけい
Romaji: rikei
the sciences; STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics)
In Japanese, sciences is 理系, read りけい (rikei).
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 the sciences; STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics)
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “sciences”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 理科系 | りかけい rikakei | the sciences; STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 理由 | りゆう riyuu | reason; grounds; pretext |
| 理解 | りかい rikai | understanding; comprehension; appreciation |
| 無理 | むり muri | unreasonable; unnatural; unjustifiable |
| 管理 | かんり kanri | control; management (e.g. of a business) |
| 料理 | りょうり ryouri | cooking; cookery; cuisine |
| 処理 | しょり shori | processing; dealing with; treatment |
| 系列 | けいれつ keiretsu | series; sequence; system |
| 系統 | けいとう keitou | system |
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.