鑑識(かんしき)

かんしき
noun, suru verb
forensics; expert appraisal; the eye for judging quality
formallawartoccupation
Conjugation
AffirmativeNegative
Present鑑識(かんしき)する鑑識(かんしき)しない
Present polite鑑識(かんしき)します鑑識(かんしき)しません
Past鑑識(かんしき)した鑑識(かんしき)しなかった
Past polite鑑識(かんしき)しました鑑識(かんしき)しませんでした
て form鑑識(かんしき)して鑑識(かんしき)しなくて
ている present鑑識(かんしき)している鑑識(かんしき)していない
ている polite鑑識(かんしき)しています鑑識(かんしき)していません
ている past鑑識(かんしき)していた鑑識(かんしき)していなかった
ている past polite鑑識(かんしき)していました鑑識(かんしき)していませんでした
Conditional ば鑑識(かんしき)すれば鑑識(かんしき)しなければ
Conditional たら鑑識(かんしき)したら鑑識(かんしき)しなかったら
Volitional鑑識(かんしき)しよう—
Volitional polite鑑識(かんしき)しましょう—
Potential鑑識(かんしき)できる鑑識(かんしき)できない
Passive鑑識(かんしき)される鑑識(かんしき)されない
Causative鑑識(かんしき)させる鑑識(かんしき)させない
Imperative鑑識(かんしき)しろ鑑識(かんしき)するな
1. forensic investigation; crime scene examination; the forensics team
The technical, scientific examination of physical evidence by police — fingerprints, blood, hair, footprints — to identify suspects or reconstruct events. By extension, refers to the police forensics unit itself, often mentioned in news reports and crime dramas.
警察(けいさつ)の鑑識(かんしき)が現場(げんば)を調(しら)べた。
Police forensics examined the scene.
鑑識(かんしき)結果(けっか)から犯人(はんにん)が特定(とくてい)された。
The suspect was identified based on the forensic results.
現場(げんば)に残(のこ)された指紋(しもん)を鑑識(かんしき)課(か)が詳(くわ)しく調(しら)べているところだ。
The forensics division is currently examining the fingerprints left at the scene in detail.
2. expert appraisal; connoisseurship; an eye for quality
The trained ability to judge the authenticity, value, or quality of art, antiques, gems, or other items. Also refers to a person's discerning eye — the capacity to distinguish what is genuine or excellent from what is not.
彼(かれ)は絵(え)の鑑識(かんしき)眼(がん)がある。
He has an eye for paintings.
骨董品(こっとうひん)の鑑識(かんしき)には長年(ながねん)の経験(けいけん)が必要(ひつよう)だ。
Appraising antiques requires years of experience.
専門家(せんもんか)に鑑識(かんしき)してもらったところ、その掛(か)け軸(じく)は江戸時代(えどじだい)の真作(しんさく)だと判明(はんめい)した。
When we had a specialist appraise it, the hanging scroll turned out to be a genuine Edo-period work.

Composed of 鑑(かん) ('to scrutinize, judge') + 識(しき) ('to discern, recognize'). The combination conveys the act of careful, knowledgeable examination — whether of physical evidence by police or of artworks by experts.

Usage

  • Sense 1 (forensics) is the most common modern usage and a staple of crime news and detective fiction. 鑑識(かんしき)課(か) ('forensics division') and 鑑識(かんしき)班(はん) ('forensics team') refer to specific police units.
  • Sense 2 (connoisseurship) often appears with 眼(がん): 鑑識(かんしき)眼(がん) ('an eye for / discerning eye'). This compound is itself an established noun.
  • The verb form 鑑識(かんしき)する is used for both senses: examining evidence forensically, and appraising an artwork or antique.

Common collocations

  • 鑑識(かんしき)課(か): the forensics division
  • 鑑識(かんしき)班(はん): the forensics team
  • 鑑識(かんしき)眼(がん): discerning eye; connoisseur's eye
  • 鑑識(かんしき)結果(けっか): forensic findings; appraisal results
  • 現場(げんば)鑑識(かんしき): crime scene investigation
  • 指紋(しもん)鑑識(かんしき): fingerprint analysis
  • 鑑識(かんしき)力(りょく): power of discernment

Similar words

  • 鑑定(かんてい): appraisal; expert judgment — focuses specifically on the formal expert evaluation of an object's authenticity or value (especially art, jewels, DNA); narrower than 鑑識(かんしき) sense 2 and lacks the police-forensics meaning.
  • 捜査(そうさ): criminal investigation — the broader police activity of investigating a crime; 鑑識(かんしき) is one specialized part of 捜査(そうさ).
  • 識別(しきべつ): identification; discrimination — the neutral act of telling things apart; doesn't imply expert judgment of quality.
  • 目利(めき)き: judge of quality; expert eye — the native, more colloquial term for the connoisseur's eye in sense 2.

Related Words

Compare: 鑑定(かんてい) (appraisal)
Compare: 捜査(そうさ) (criminal investigation)
Compare: 識別(しきべつ) (identification)
Compare: 目利(めき)き (judge of quality)
Related: 法医学(ほういがく) (forensic medicine)
general
Added 2026.4.17 12:10 · Revised 2026.9.4 21:29
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