Japanese word

理科

Pronunciation

Romajirika

Meaning

  • nounscience

Example

私は理科が好きです。watashi wa ri ka ga su ki de su

I like science.

Illustration for 理科 (science)

More examples

理科の時間は楽しいです。ri ka no ji kan wa tano shi i de su

Science class is fun.

理科では、身近な現象を観察して理由を考えます。ri ka de wa mi jika na gen shō o kan satsu shi te ri yū o kanga e ma su

In science, we observe familiar phenomena and think about their causes.

Core concept

Refers to the organized study of nature taught as a school subject, including areas such as physics, chemistry, biology, and earth science.

Common phrases

  • 理科の授業ri ka no ju gyō

    science class

  • 理科の実験ri ka no jik ken

    science experiment

  • 理科の先生ri ka no sen sei

    science teacher

Similar words

自然科学shizenkagaku: The academic study of nature through fields such as biology, chemistry, physics, and earth science.
科学kagaku: The organized pursuit of knowledge about nature through observation, measurement, and experiments.

Definition in Japanese

自然界の仕組みや現象を扱う学校の教科。shi zen kai no shi ku mi ya gen shō o atsuka u gak kō no kyō ka

Word origin

理科 (rika) is a Sino-Japanese term combining 理 (ri, "reason") and 科 (ka, "branch or subject"), meaning a branch of organized learning.

Usage tips

  • In Japanese schools, 理科 (rika) commonly covers several natural sciences rather than naming only one field, so science class may include experiments about matter, living things, and the Earth.

Word lists with this word