科学者
kagakusha[ka̠ɡa̠kɯ̟̊ɕa̠]
The Japanese word for scientist is 科学者, pronounced kagakusha.
科学者 is used to describe someone whose activities make use of the scientific method.
Meaning: one whose activities make use of the scientific method (noun)
Which one should you use?
科学者 specifically refers to a scientist, whereas 研究者 (kenkyūsha) is a broader term used for a researcher in many different academic fields.
How do you pronounce it?
kagakusha
Did you know?
- The word 科学 is a relatively modern invention. It was coined during the Meiji era to translate the Western concept of 'science' because no single Japanese word existed for it.
- The word 科学 (kagaku) is composed of the characters for 'cause/reason' and 'study', implying that science is the study of the underlying causes of things.
- If you are talking about a scientist in a laboratory setting, you might hear the katakana word サイエンティスト (saientisuto) instead of the kanji-based 科学者.
Examples in context
- 彼は科学者です。He is a scientist.Tatoeba #109217 by bunbuku, translation #294473 by CK
- 彼は偉大な科学者だ。He is a great scientist.Tatoeba #110138 by bunbuku, translation #293549 by CK
- わたしの妻も科学者です。My wife is also a scientist.Tatoeba #6849936 by Sonata, translation #6221143 by CK
- 竹男さんは科学者です。Mr. Takeo is a scientist.
- 私の姉妹は科学者です。My sisters are scientists.
- 18 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Yui and Hiroto are talking about their dream jobs.
- 結衣 Yui将来は科学者になりたいです。Shourai wa kagakusha ni naritai desu.I want to be a scientist in the future.
- 大翔 Hirotoすごいね。どんな研究をしたいの？Sugoi ne. Donna kenkyuu o shitai no?That's amazing. What kind of research do you want to do?
- 結衣 Yui宇宙について調べる科学者になりたいです。Uchuu ni tsuite shiraberu kagakusha ni naritai desu.I want to be a scientist who studies the universe.
- 大翔 Hiroto結衣ならきっといい科学者になれるよ。Yui nara kitto ii kagakusha ni nareru yo.I'm sure you'll become a great scientist, Yui.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “scientist” translations and entries 科学者, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 科学者, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
