Related words 正方形 specifically means a mathematically perfect square with four equal sides, while 四角 loosely covers any four-sided shape including rectangles.
四角 is the everyday word for 'square', whereas 角 alone rarely stands for square/cube outside technical or compound usage.
四角 is the plain native Japanese word for a square shape, while スクエア is the fashionable loanword often used in design or casual contexts.
四角 broadly means 'square' or 'quadrilateral' without stressing exactness, whereas 真四角 specifically stresses that all sides and angles are perfectly equal.
Opposites 丸 describes a round or circular shape, the basic visual opposite of the four-cornered 四角 .
三角 means triangle, whereas 四角 means square or rectangle, the opposite basic shape.
Don't confuse with 死角 (a blind spot, e.g. in driving) is pronounced identically to 四角 (square) but has a completely unrelated meaning.
資格 (a qualification or license) shares the same しかく reading as 四角 (square) but refers to credentials, not shape.
四角 is the noun for 'a square/rectangle', whereas 四角い is the i-adjective used to directly modify a noun, as in 四角い箱 not 四角箱 .
Word family· 12 Show 7 more Show fewer quadrangular pyramid
rectangle
square; perfectly square
four-corner method
stiff; formal; prim; square
be square; be angular · be formal; be stiff; be strict
love quadrangle; four-way relationship
Written forms 四し 角かく Usage 99%
Standard kanji spelling; high priority.
しかく Usage 1%
Etymology Compound of 四 (four) and 角 (angle/corner). The reading しかく is a straightforward combination of the on'yomi readings of the two kanji.
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