Copyright © 2026 Kotomora. All Rights Reserved.
掛け軸 (kakejiku) Japanese meaning: hanging scroll | Kotomora
Report an issue with this page
I display a hanging scroll in the tokonoma alcove.
This hanging scroll is from the Edo period.
Usage patterns 〈 場ば 所しょ 〉 に 掛か け 軸じく を 掛か ける to hang a scroll in a place (e.g. a tokonoma alcove)
I hung a scroll in the tokonoma alcove.
掛か け 軸じく を 掛か け 替か える to swap out the hanging scroll (e.g. for the season)
We change the hanging scroll to match the season.
掛か け 軸じく を 巻ま く to roll up a hanging scroll (for storage)
When not in use, I roll up the scroll and put it away.
Related words 掛物 is a broader term covering any hanging decoration, while 掛け軸 refers specifically to a mounted scroll of painting or calligraphy.
掛け軸 is the full word for a hanging scroll, while 軸 is often used as a shorter, more casual way to refer to the same object in context.
Don't confuse with 巻物 is a horizontal hand scroll meant to be unrolled and read, whereas 掛け軸 is a vertical scroll meant to be hung on a wall.
掛け軸 is a scroll meant to be hung vertically on a wall, whereas 絵巻物 is a horizontal scroll unrolled section by section.
Written forms 掛か け 軸じく Usage 65%
Standard kanji spelling; the most common written form.
掛かけ 軸じく Usage 35%
Variant spelling without the okurigana け; also common.
Etymology Compound of 掛け (kake, 'hanging', from 掛ける 'to hang') + 軸 (jiku, 'axis, scroll'). The term refers to a scroll that is hung for display.
