科 — “department / subject” in Japanese

Grade 2か

Radical ⽲ · radical 115 The building block this kanji is filed under

“department / subject” in Japanese is 科, read ka (か). It is a Grade 2 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 2 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 理科 (science).

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What does 科 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	科
Meaning	department / subject
Readings	か
Grade	Grade 2 (Easy)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	理科 (science)

How to read 科

科 is read ka (か) depending on the word.

Words with 科

科学かがく
科学者かがくしゃ
理科
耳鼻科

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Updated: 2026-08-28