Translation guide
The skull is the bone structure of the head. In Japanese, the most common word is 頭蓋骨 (ずがいこつ), used in medical and everyday contexts. For casual or colloquial use, ドクロ (どくろ) is common, especially for skull imagery. There are also specific terms for parts of the skull.
Referring to the skull as a part of the body, in medical, scientific, or general contexts.
Referring to the skull as a graphic, icon, or symbol, often associated with danger, death, or pirates.
Common colloquial term for a skull, especially as a symbol or image. Often written in katakana.
The pirate flag has a skull on it.
He wears a skull ring.
Literary or old-fashioned term for skull, often used in a symbolic or eerie context. Can be read as どくろ or されこうべ.
Referring to the cranium or facial bones separately.
Refers specifically to the cranium, the upper part of the skull that encloses the brain. More technical.
Examine the shape of the cranium.
Facial skeleton; the part of the skull that includes the facial bones. Medical term.
Fracture of the facial skull.
頭蓋骨 is the formal, anatomical term for the skull as a body part. ドクロ is more casual and often refers to the skull as a symbol or image, like on a pirate flag or a T-shirt. Using 頭蓋骨 for a decoration might sound overly clinical.
The doctor used a model of a skull.
I wore a skull mask for Halloween.
The English loanword スカル is sometimes used in product names or fantasy contexts, but it is not a natural way to say 'skull' in Japanese. Stick to 頭蓋骨 or ドクロ.
skull-patterned shirt (unnatural, use ドクロ柄)
He fractured his skull in the accident.
頭骨の構造を学ぶ。
Study the structure of the skull.
A skull is lying there.