How do you say "maths" in Japanese?

In Japanese, "maths" is 数学 (sūgaku). It is a noun pronounced "soo-gah-koo".

Listen to the pronunciation:

Illustration of maths from Noun Town

Pronunciation

数学 is written in kanji. Romanised as sūgaku, it sounds roughly like "soo-gah-koo" to an English ear.

Example sentence

その数学はとても便利です。

Sono Sūgaku wa totemo benri desu.

That maths is very useful.

Usage notes

Sūgaku (数学) is the Japanese word for maths. This noun appears in everyday contexts across homes, offices, schools, and public spaces.

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Questions about 数学

How do you pronounce 数学?

数学 is romanised as sūgaku. Say it roughly like "soo-gah-koo" in English. Each Japanese syllable has even weight, so keep the rhythm steady.

Is 数学 formal or casual?

数学 is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech. The level of formality comes from the sentence structure around it, not from the word itself.

How is 数学 written in Japanese?

数学 is written using kanji. Kanji characters carry the core meaning; any hiragana or katakana that follow show grammatical endings.

This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the Japanese language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation.