Japanese word

人文科学

Pronunciation

Romajijinbunkagaku

Meaning

  • nounhumanities

Example

大学で人文科学を学びます。dai gaku de jin bun ka gaku o mana bi ma su

I study the humanities at university.

Illustration for 人文科学 (humanities)

More examples

図書館には人文科学の入門書がそろっています。to sho kan ni wa jin bun ka gaku no nyū mon sho ga so ro tte i ma su

The library has a good selection of introductory books on the humanities.

Core concept

Brings together fields that explore how human beings express, record, and interpret culture and ideas.

Common phrases

  • 人文科学を学ぶjin bun ka gaku o mana bu

    study the humanities

  • 人文科学の研究jin bun ka gaku no ken kyū

    research in the humanities

Similar words

人文学jinbungaku: A field of study that examines human culture, ideas, language, literature, and history.
人文系jinbunkei: A group of academic subjects concerned with human culture, language, ideas, and history.

Definition in Japanese

人間の文化や思想、言語、歴史などを対象とする学問の総称。nin gen no bun ka ya shi sō gen go reki shi na do o tai shō to su ru gaku mon no sō shō

Word origin

The Sino-Japanese term 人文科学 (jinbun kagaku) joins 人 (jin, "person") and 文 (bun, "culture") with 科 (ka, "field") and 学 (gaku, "study") to describe the study of human culture.

Usage tips

  • English usually uses humanities as a plural noun, especially in the phrase the humanities, when naming this group of academic fields.

Related words

  • 人文科学者jinbunkagakushahumanities scholarnoun

Word lists with this word