化学|かがくkagaku[1]atamadaka (head-high)

1. nounchemistryばけがく spoken to avoid confusion with 科学
   貴方あなたは、化学かがくを勉強べんきょうしますか。↗

   Do you study chemistry?

• SynonymケミストリーNeutralA loanword for chemistry, also used figuratively for the rapport or 'chemistry' between people. For the subject itself, 「化学」 is the usual choice.
• Related舎密セイミWrittenAn old name for chemistry, borrowed from Dutch and used from the late Edo period into the early Meiji era; no longer used in modern Japanese.
• Related舎密学WrittenAn old name for chemistry as a field of study; in modern usage it survives only in historical documents.

Use 「化学」 for the science of chemistry. Because it sounds the same as 「科学」, people often say 「ばけがく」 in speech to keep the two apart. The old name 「舎密」 now appears only in historical texts.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

1. 物質ぶっしつの性質せいしつや反応はんのうを研究けんきゅうする自然科学しぜんかがくの一いち分野ぶんや。
2. 1 について教おしえる高等学校こうとうがっこうの理科りかの科目かもく。