骨格

• Reading: こっかく
• Romaji: kokkaku
• Kanji breakdown: 骨 (kotsu/hone) — bone; 格 (kaku) — frame, structure, status
• Pronunciation: /ko.k.ka.kɯ/

Meaning

Skeleton; framework; build; the essential structure of something.

A noun with both literal and figurative applications. Literally, the skeletal frame of a body. Figuratively, the fundamental framework or structure of a plan, argument, organisation, or building. The figurative sense is especially common in formal and analytical writing.

Examples

1. 新政策の骨格となる法案が今国会に提出された。 A bill forming the framework of the new policy was submitted to the current session of parliament.
2. 骨格がしっかりしていないと、どんな建物も長くは持たない。 Without a solid framework, no building can last very long.
3. 彼女の論文は骨格こそ優れているが、細部の詰めが甘い。 Her thesis has an excellent structure, but the finer details need more work.

Usage Guide

Context: policy, architecture, anatomy, argument structure

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

From 骨 (kotsu/hone, bone) and 格 (kaku, frame/structure). The compound is shared with Chinese (骨格 gǔgé) and has been used in Japanese medical and literary texts since at least the Edo period.

Cultural Context

Era: Edo–Modern

Generation: Adults

Social background: Universal