Translation guide
The skull is the bone structure of the head. In Japanese, the most common word is 頭蓋骨 (ずがいこつ), used in medical and everyday contexts. For casual or colloquial use, ドクロ (どくろ) is common, especially for skull imagery. There are also specific terms for parts of the skull.
Referring to the skull as a part of the body, in medical, scientific, or general contexts.
The standard anatomical term for the skull. Used in medical contexts and everyday language.
頭蓋骨は脳を保護している。
The skull protects the brain.
彼は事故で頭蓋骨を骨折した。
He fractured his skull in the accident.
Also means skull, but less common than 頭蓋骨. Sometimes used in compound words.
頭骨の構造を学ぶ。
Study the structure of the skull.
Referring to the skull as a graphic, icon, or symbol, often associated with danger, death, or pirates.
Common colloquial term for a skull, especially as a symbol or image. Often written in katakana.
海賊旗にはドクロが描かれている。
The pirate flag has a skull on it.
彼はドクロの指輪をしている。
He wears a skull ring.
Literary or old-fashioned term for skull, often used in a symbolic or eerie context. Can be read as どくろ or されこうべ.
Referring to the cranium or facial bones separately.
Refers specifically to the cranium, the upper part of the skull that encloses the brain. More technical.
頭蓋の形を調べる。
Examine the shape of the cranium.
Facial skeleton; the part of the skull that includes the facial bones. Medical term.
顔面頭蓋の骨折。
Fracture of the facial skull.
頭蓋骨 is the formal, anatomical term for the skull as a body part. ドクロ is more casual and often refers to the skull as a symbol or image, like on a pirate flag or a T-shirt. Using 頭蓋骨 for a decoration might sound overly clinical.
医者は頭蓋骨の模型を使った。
The doctor used a model of a skull.
ハロウィンでドクロの仮面をかぶった。
I wore a skull mask for Halloween.
The English loanword スカル is sometimes used in product names or fantasy contexts, but it is not a natural way to say 'skull' in Japanese. Stick to 頭蓋骨 or ドクロ.
スカル柄のシャツ
skull-patterned shirt (unnatural, use ドクロ柄)
A skull is lying there.