Japanese word

四角

Pronunciation

Romajishikaku

Meaning

  • nounsquare

Example

紙に四角を描きます。kami ni shi kaku o ega ki ma su

I draw a square on the paper.

Illustration for 四角 (square)

More examples

画面に四角の枠が表示されます。ga men ni shi kaku no waku ga hyō ji sa re ma su

A square frame appears on the screen.

Core concept

Centers on the four-cornered form of a flat figure, whether its sides are all equal or not.

Common phrases

  • 四角の枠shi kaku no waku

    square frame

  • 四角に切るshi kaku ni ki ru

    cut into a square

  • 四角の穴shi kaku no ana

    square hole

Similar words

正方形seihōkei: A flat shape with four equal sides and four right angles.
四辺形shihenkei: A flat shape enclosed by four straight sides.
長方形chōhōkei: A flat shape with four right angles and two pairs of equal opposite sides.

Definition in Japanese

四つの辺で囲まれた平面図形。yon tsu no hen de kako ma re ta hei men zu kei

Word origin

The noun 四角 (shikaku, "four corners") is formed from 四 (shi, "four") and 角 (kaku, "corner"), whose meanings describe the figure directly.

Usage tips

  • In Japanese, 四角 (shikaku) can cover both a square and a general quadrilateral, so 正方形 (seihōkei) gives the more exact term for a square.

Other meanings

  • quadrilateralnoun

Opposites

  • 丸marucirclenoun

Related words

Word lists with this word