Japanese word

専攻

Pronunciation

Romajisenkō

Meaning

  • nounmajor

Example

私の専攻は歴史です。watashi no sen kō wa reki shi de su

My major is history.

Illustration for 専攻 (major)

More examples

大学では専攻を途中で変える学生もいます。dai gaku de wa sen kō o to chū de ka e ru gaku sei mo i ma su

Some students change their major partway through college.

Core concept

It identifies the field of study that a person focuses on as a specialty.

Common phrases

  • 専攻を選ぶsen kō o era bu

    choose a major

  • 専攻を変えるsen kō o ka e ru

    change one's major

  • 専攻について話すsen kō ni tsu i te hana su

    talk about one's major

Similar words

専門senmon: A subject or field in which a person has special knowledge or training.
専門分野senmonbunya: A field in which a person develops focused knowledge through study or work.
専修senshū: A focused course or field of study within an educational program.

Definition in Japanese

大学などで、専門として学び研究する分野。dai gaku na do de sen mon to shi te mana bi ken kyū su ru bun ya

Word origin

専攻 (senkō) combines 専 (sen, "specialized") and 攻 (kō, "to study"), expressing a specialized field of study.

Usage tips

  • In American English, major can be a verb as well as a noun, so a student can say that they major in history.

Other meanings

  • specializationnoun

Related words

  • 専攻するsenkōsurumajor inverb

Word lists with this word