Blood types 血液型　( = Ketsueki gata) Japanese culture


血液型 ( = ketsueki gata) Blood type

:) 「マギー先生の血液型は何ですか？」

= Maggie sensei no ketsuekigata wa nan desu ka?

“What is your blood type, Miss Maggie?”

:maggie-small: 「え〜と、A? B? C???」

= Eeto, ei? bii? cii???

“Let me see, A? B? C???”

Today I will talk about 血液型  ( = ketsueki gata). But it has nothing to do with medicine.

As always, let’s look at the kanji first!

血液型 ( = けつえきがた= ketsueki gata) blood type

(ち／けつ= chi/ketsu)　blood

Ex. 輸血  ( ゆけつ = yuketsu) blood transfusion

( えき = eki) liquid, fluid

Ex.  液体  (えきたい = ekitai) liquid

(けい／かた／がた kei/kata/gata) mold, pattern, type, form, design

Ex.  A型インフルエンザ　(= ei gata infuruenza) type A influenza

Ex. 型にはまった(=kata ni hamatta) conventional

Blood in Japanese is either 血液  ( = ketsueki) or  ( = chi). While 血液  ( = ketsueki) is formal and can be used as a medical term, we use 血  ( = chi) in a daily conversation.

Ex. “I am bleeding!” 血が出た ( = chi ga deta)

(past tense but we also use it when we are bleeding.)

血が出ている ( = chiga dete iru)

（more formal)

血が出ています  ( = chiga dete imasu.)

(We also say 出血 (=shukketsu) for bleeding.　

出血している。( =Shukketsu shiteiru.) to be bleeding )

:n: Culture Note:

If you live in Japan, you may occasionally hear this question:


=”Anata no ketsueki gata wa nan desu ka?

“What is your blood type?”

or simply


=”Ketsueki gata nani?

(It has the same meaning but is more casual.)

And when you answer, they might say,


= ”Yappari!”

“I thought so. “/ “I knew it. “/ “As I guessed.”

Many Japanese love to analyze your personality by blood type — just for fun.

There is no scientific evidence to support the correlation between someone’s blood type and their personality, but some people seem to be quite sure that our personalities are actually based on our blood type. There are stereo-typical personalities for each blood type. Try to search on internet with a word “血液型”  (  = ketsueki gata ). You will get tons of sites of  

血液型占い ( = ketsueki gata uranai) a fortune teller who goes by your blood type.

血液型性格判断 ( = ketsueki gata seikaku handan) a blood type based personality test.　

血液型相性診断  ( = ketsueki gata aishou shindan.) a blood type based (love-partner) compatibility test.

Here are some stereo-typed personalities for each blood type :

• A型  ( = ei gata) type A

几帳面  ( = kichoumen) well organized

細かい  ( = komakai) meticulous

• 気がつく  ( = kiga tsuku)　attentive

*  繊細  ( = sensai ) sensitive

*  時間に厳しい  ( = jikan ni kibishii) punctual

綺麗好き ( = kireizuki ) tidy

O型  ( = ou gata)　type O

大ざっぱ  ( = ouzappa) rough in their ways (opposite of meticulous)

*  大らか  ( = ouraka) easy going 　

誰とでも上手くやれる ( = dareto demo umaku yareru) get along with anybody

 • B型  ( = bii gata) 　type B

*マイペース  （ = maipeesu）do things or live at one’s pace

変わり者  ( = kawarimono) eccentric

短気  ( = tanki) short tempered

移り気  ( = utsurigi) capricious

AB型  ( = aibii gata) Type AB

*二重人格  ( = nijuu jinkaku) double personalities

変わり者  ( = kawari mono) eccentric

芸術の才能がある  ( = geijutsu no saino ga aru) gifted as an artist ,

many *天才  ( = tensai) genius  people are AB. etc.

You can see they are totally biased.

There is a best seller book called

「A (B, O or AB) 型自分の説明書

 = A (B, O or AB) gata jibun no setsumeisho 

=  “A manual for Blood type “A” (B, O or AB)”

Many people say it is

よく当たる!／当たってる 」 

= “Yoku ataru/ atatteru

=  Very accurate.

This just goes to show just how much we believe in the accuracy of blood-type based personality analysis.

Many of us think the blood type is important factor to know our 相性  ( = aishou) compatibility like 星占い  ( = hoshiuranai) or 占星術  ( = senseijutsu) horoscope. Some blood personality checks also astrology.

There are even some companies that take the blood type so seriously that they decide their personnel based on the blood type and some people chose their partners by blood types.

 :tulip3: Example sentences regarding the blood types.



= ”Kare wa bii gata dakara watashi to aishou ga awanai no.

“His blood type is B so I don’t get along with him.”


= “Ano hito wa iikagen dakara kitto oogata dayo.

“He is irresponsible so his blood type must be O.”


= “Kanojo tte ketsueki gata eibii janai? Datte chotto tsukamidokoro ga nai mono.

“Her blood type must be AB because she is a bit enigmatic.”


=”Watashi wa ei gata dakara nandemo kichitto shite inai to iya da. ”

“My blood type is A so I can’t stand it if things are not in order.”


= Joushi wa bii gata no ningen towa aishou ga awanai to itte iru.

“My boss says he doesn’t get along with blood type B people.”


= ”Anata no kestuki gata tte ei gata janai ? Nanika komakai kara…

“Isn’t your blood type A? You seem somehow meticulous to me.”


= ”Kare ga bii gata tte iu no wa igai da. Ooraka dakara ou gata ka to omotta.

“I didn’t expect his blood type was B. I thought he was type “O” because he is easy going.”


!Anapple! Related Vocabulary 

• 性格  ( = seikaku) personality

• 性格がいい  ( = seikaku ga ii.) 
to have a nice personality

• 性格が悪い  ( = seikaku ga warui.) to have a bad personality

Related lesson : How to describe 性格 ( = seikaku) personality 

 相性  ( = aishou) chemistry

• 相性がいい  
( = aishou ga ii) to have good chemistry


Watashitashi wa aishou ga ii.

We have a good chemistry.

• 相性が悪い

= aishou ga warui.

to have a bad chemistry

Ex. 父と彼は相性が悪い。

= Chichi to kare wa aishou ga warui

My dad and my boyfriend don’t get along well. (My dad and my boyfriend have bad chemistry.)

相性が合う  ( = aishou ga au.) to get along well


= Maggie to Cookie towa aishou ga awanai.

Maggie and Cookie don’t get along well.

frenchbulldogマギー先生より  Maggie sensei yori =  From Maggie-sensei


= Inu no ketsueki gata wa zenbu de juusan shurui ijou mo arun desutte.

I heard there are more than 13 dog blood types.


= Watashi no ketsueki gata wa shiranai kedo, kitto yasashikute kawaii seikaku no ketsueki gata dato omou no.

I don’t know what my blood type is but I bet it is the one for “sweet” and “cute” personalities.


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  1. 血液型と性格の関係はなんだか面白いなんですけど、非論理的じゃないんですか？


    1. @Lava


  2. Hi Maggiesensei, I made questions for two different lessons today, hopefully I am not asking too much at the same time. There is no need for sensei to answer right away, I can wait. :)

    1) 「彼女って血液型ABじゃない？だってちょっと掴みどころがないもの。」


    a) I can’t find the “enigmatic” in the sentence. My guess is that “tsukami” (grip) is used as enigmatic by using the logic that something enigmatic is something one person does not have a
    “grip” on. Is that right sensei?

    b) I wanted to know about “dokoro”. I read it is used for emphasis and negation, right?

    2) 型にはまった

    Sensei wrote that this expression means “conventional”. “Conventional” in what form sensei?

    3) Does the “aishou” have a sentimental connotation or can I use it when referring to friends?

    4) あなたの血液型ってA型じゃない？何か細かいから…


    Sensei, can I use “nanika” to convey the meaning of “somewhat” as well?

    Muchas gracias sensei. :)

    1. @NecroMadMat

      Let me see your questions here…
      1) enigmatic = 掴みどころがない ＝つかみどころがない
      You use this expression for a mysterious person who you can’t tell what they are thinking about.
      つかむ has mainly two meanings, to hold on to something, to grip something or to apprehend, to grasp, to get
      It is from つかむところ(=所= place, part) がない There is no place you can grip, hold on to →(changed to) つかみどころがない there is no place to grasp, hard to tell

      2) 型 literally means “mold” ,”form” or “pattern”
      So imagine people who are fixed in a mold which is made by society or one’s group. They behave, say or think as other people. They do the same routines everyday.
      No originality. In that sense, the are conventional. People don’t do things spontaneously.

      3) Yes, 相性がいい，悪い is used all the time for any human relationships.

      4) Yes.

      De nada!!

        1. @NecroMadMat
          OK, 型にはまる(= conventional, stereotyped, formulaic) is usually used in a negative connotation.

          Ex. 型にはまったってはいけない。(Don’t be too conventional. Be unique! )
          Ex. 型にはまらずに〜した方がいい。(You should be unconventional (more original) when you do ~ .)
          Ex. 型にはまらない方がいい。(=You should be unconventional, You should be unique)
          Ex. 彼は型にはまっている。(negative, criticizing)

          *型にはまった仕事をする　= to do the same routine
          *型にはまった教育 = conventional education
          *型にはまった物の考え方 = conventional way of thinking
          *型にはまらない考え方= unconventional way of thinking, to think out of the box
          *型にはまらない方法= unconventional way, a formulaic way, mannerism
          *型にはまったもの= cliche

  3. 輸血 (=yuketsu) blood infusion

    I think the right term is “transfusion”, blood infusion sounds a little creepy (o_O’).

    I found it very surprising that, at a recent interview, the interviewer said to my friend that her blood type wasn’t compatible with the company.


    1. @Cygnus

      You are right. “infusion” is also listed in the dictionary but “transfusion” is more adequate. I will revise it.
      そうですね、ある血液型が面接で落とされるという嘘の様な話も以前はよく聞きました。（→そこまで大切なんだろうか。信じられない。or そこまで大切なんて信じられない。）

  4. my blood type is B all info r wrong about me!!!!!

    i am easy going

    luv 2 have fun

    smiles alot

    u cant make me mad easily because i am calm person

    get along with everybody i am everyones friend


    organised cant stand aplace which is not organised


    yeah thats me :)

  5. @Bridget Nazis did quite a lot of absurd “research”, this blood type thing would fit into it.
    Nevertheless I thought the japanese came up with this, as an equivalent to the western astrology ^__^”

    Thank you for this great article and cute pic Maggie先生 !!

    1. Fina-chan,
      Finaponのコメントありがと〜〜う！！I think I have learned a lot since I wrote this article reading through the comments as well. Ahhh…so many things to learn in this world besides where to dig a hole to hide my bone!

  6. This explains so much! I was always so confused on how a lot of Japanese profiles and such have the blood type yet I don’t even know my own. Thanks for the help! I’m really liking this website!

  7. Before & during the second world war, the Nazis were also obsessed with this “blood type + personality” nonsense, and supposedly did quite a bit of “research” on it.
    It’s always important to remember whose side Japan was on during the second world war.

    I know that in Japan, people treat it like a horoscope, you know, like, just for fun, but if they knew where most of this “information” on blood types came from, I’m sure they’d be pretty surprised.
    Anyway, I refuse to take part in any of their little customs to keep from placing me into any kind of stereotype, be it from my blood type, nationality, or whatever. It’s annoying.

  8. Actually, fureto-san isn’t massively off the mark with his Nazis comment. I heard that the original Japanese blood-type research was a response to a western study which claimed that Asian people were closer to animals because type B is more common in both animals and in Asian people.

    It’s obviously nonsense, mind.

    The blood-type obsession in Japan is one of my pet hates. It drives me up the wall.

    This is the first time I’ve seen your blog, Maggie, and I think I’ll be back. Nice to see lots of Kanji and example sentences and stuff.
    I’ll be following on twitter too.

  9. It’s so crazy, I’ve seen people get along great at first but then when they learn each others blood types stop liking each other. PS- is the bomb!

  10. @furetosan
    Wow, the ignorance in that comment is so extreme that it doesn’t even warrant a response beyond what I have now written. Also, I ask that you please not pro-create and perpetuate the cycle of ignorance any further than you’ve already taken it.

    Thanks for this great post man. I’ve been reading a book called “The Japanese have a word for it, but they don’t think you’ll understand.” Kind of a long title I know, but it said that some Japanese take blood type very seriously like you said. I hope they don’t read into my blood type too closely because it won’t be very accurate. I’m type A but completely unorganized in many ways. lol

    Anyway, thanks for this insightful language lesson. I’ve still got a ways to go in learning the language, but your work puts me one step closer each time. Thanks. :)

    1. furetosan,

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