外科

• Reading: げか
• Romaji: geka
• Kanji breakdown: 外 (ge/gai/soto) — outside, external; 科 (ka) — department, branch, subject
• Pronunciation: /ɡe.ka/

Meaning

Surgery; surgical department. The branch of medicine that treats diseases and injuries through operations.

A noun referring to surgery as a medical specialty, as well as the surgical department of a hospital. Contrasts with 内科 (naika, internal medicine). Used in compound terms like 外科医 (gekai, surgeon), 外科手術 (geka shujutsu, surgical operation), and 整形外科 (seikei geka, orthopaedic surgery). One of the first medical departments a Japanese learner encounters.

Examples

1. 父は外科の医師として三十年以上働いている。 My father has been working as a surgeon for over thirty years.
2. 怪我がひどかったので、外科で診てもらった。 My injury was serious, so I had it examined in the surgical department.
3. この病院の外科は腹腔鏡手術で有名だ。 This hospital's surgery department is well known for laparoscopic procedures.

Usage Guide

Context: hospitals, medical, health

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

From Sino-Japanese: 外 (ge, outside/external) + 科 (ka, department/branch). Literally 'the external department' — contrasting with 内科 (internal medicine), since surgery deals with conditions from the outside of the body.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal