正せい方ほう形けい

せ

い

ほ

う

け

い

Common wordJLPTN2Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

1

noun, noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no'

Refers to the geometric shape with four equal sides and four right angles. Used both as a noun and adjectivally with の.

Please cut this paper into a square.

正せい方ほう形けいのテーブルを買かいました。

I bought a square table.

〈物もの〉を正せい方ほう形けいに切きるto cut something into a square shape
紙かみを正せい方ほう形けいに切きってください。
Please cut the paper into a square.
〈物もの〉は正せい方ほう形けいをしているsomething has a square shape
このタイルは正せい方ほう形けいをしている。
This tile is square-shaped.

四し角かくN3
四角 is a casual, broad word for any square or quadrilateral shape, while 正方形 is the precise geometric term for a shape with four equal sides and right angles.
真ま四し角かくN1
正方形 is the neutral geometric term for a square, while 真四角 is a descriptive, everyday word emphasizing that something looks perfectly square.

長ちょう方ほう形けいN2
長方形 (rectangle) and 正方形 (square) both have four right angles, but only 正方形 requires all four sides to be equal in length.
立りっ方ぽう体たいN2
正方形 is a flat, two-dimensional square, whereas 立方体 is the three-dimensional solid made of six such squares.

From 正 (せい, 'correct, regular') + 方形 (ほうけい, 'square shape'). The term is a straightforward kanji compound describing a regular quadrilateral.