How do you say "physics" in Japanese?

In Japanese, "physics" is 物理 (butsuri). It is a noun pronounced "boo-tsoo-ree".

Listen to the pronunciation:

Illustration of physics from Noun Town

Pronunciation

物理 is written in kanji. Romanised as butsuri, it sounds roughly like "boo-tsoo-ree" to an English ear.

Example sentence

新しい物理を買いました。

Atarashii Butsuri wo kaimashita.

I bought a new physics.

Usage notes

Butsuri (物理) is the Japanese word for physics. This noun appears in everyday contexts across homes, offices, schools, and public spaces.

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Questions about 物理

How do you pronounce 物理?

物理 is romanised as butsuri. Say it roughly like "boo-tsoo-ree" in English. Each Japanese syllable has even weight, so keep the rhythm steady.

Is 物理 formal or casual?

物理 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 物理 written in Japanese?

物理 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.