Back to dictionary
JLPT N26画 · 6 strokesradical 禾grade 2freq #1500

department, course, item

On'yomi (音読み)

Kun'yomi (訓読み)

  • しな

Mnemonic

The rice plant (禾) stands in a department (科) where everyone is visibly capable (可) of growing their specialties.

About this kanji

The kanji "科" (か) primarily means "department" or "course," and it can also refer to an "item" in certain contexts. It is commonly used in nouns rather than verbs. For instance, "科学" (かがく) means "science," while "科目" (かもく) refers to a school subject. Another example is "医学" (いがく), which stands for "medical science." This kanji can help categorize fields of study, making it essential for educational contexts. A quick note: while "科" often appears in compounds, it can be less common in everyday conversation, so you'll mostly encounter it in academic or professional settings.

Built from

Example sentences

  • 彼は医学科に進学した。

    He entered the medical department.

Meanings across languages

English
department, course, item
Tiếng Việt
khoa, môn học, đơn vị, hạng mục
日本語
科, 部門, 課
한국어
학과, 과정, 항목
中文
部门, 课程, 项目
id
departemen, kursus, item
th
แผนก, หลักสูตร, รายการ
es
departamento, curso, artículo
fr
département, cours, article
de
Abteilung, Kurs, Artikel
pt
departamento, curso, item

Common compounds

  • 科学かがくscience
  • 科目かもくsubject, course
  • 医学いがくmedical science, medicine
  • 専門科せんもんかspecialized field

Want to actually learn this kanji?

The dictionary is one view. The Kanji 360 app wraps every character with mnemonic images, audio readings, stroke-order animation, story context, and SRS scheduling — free to start on iPhone, iPad, and Android.