(しかく)

しかく
noun
qualification, eligibility
See also: 四角(しかく) (square, rectangle), 視覚(しかく) (sight, vision), 死角(しかく) (blind spot)
1. qualification, certification
Official credentials showing competence in a field.
資格(しかく)()
To obtain a qualification.
資格(しかく)試験(しけん)
Certification exam.
2. eligibility, right
The status of being entitled to do something.
To be eligible to vote.
You have no right to say such things.
He is fully eligible to be selected for the national team.

資格(しかく) covers both formal credentials (certifications, licenses) and the abstract notion of eligibility or right to do something.

COMMON PATTERNS:

USAGE:
In sense 2 (eligibility), often used in moral or social contexts: そんなこと()資格(しかく)ない (You have no right to say that).

HOMOPHONES: