Explore 科 in words for fields of study and medical departments. Learn each reading with the whole word.
The idea
科 has nine strokes and is commonly read か in compounds. 科目 means a subject, 科学 means science, and 内科 means internal medicine. Use the linked diagram to follow the stroke order.
Examples
- 理科は私の好きな科目です。Science is my favourite subject.
- 社会の授業で歴史を学びます。We study history in social studies.
- 新しい教科書を買いました。I bought a new textbook.
- 姉は大学で科学を学んでいます。My sister studies science at university.
- 昨日、内科に行きました。I went to the internal medicine department yesterday.
- 歯科は二階にあります。The dentist is on the second floor.
Read-aloud uses a synthetic Japanese voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.
No Japanese device voice is available. You can still read the text and use the linked listening resources.
Watch out
科 does not always mean a school subject: in 歯科 it names dentistry. 科学 is science as a field, while 理科 is a school subject.
Try it yourself
Write the reading of 科目 in hiragana.
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かもく
科目 is read かもく: it means a subject of study.
Write the reading of 内科 in hiragana.
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ないか
内科 is read ないか: it means internal medicine, a hospital department.
Choose the missing kanji: ＿学（かがく）［科／料］.
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科
科 completes 科学（かがく）, the word for science.
Practice round
Answer questions, then rebuild Japanese sentences where available. We keep your score.
Write the reading of 科目 in hiragana.
Write the reading of 内科 in hiragana.
Choose the missing kanji: ＿学（かがく）［科／料］.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Keep your progress
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Write 科 following the diagram, then cover the readings and read 科目, 科学 and 内科 aloud. Make a sentence using one word.