Korean word

전공하다

Pronunciation

Romanizationcheongonghada

Meaning

verbmajor in

Example

저는 대학에서 영문학을 전공해요.cheo neun tae ha ge seo yeong mun ha geul cheon gong hae yo

I major in English literature at university.

More examples

동생은 미술을 전공하고 있어요.tong saeng eun mi su reul cheon gong ha go i sseo yo

My younger sibling is majoring in art.

Core concept

Making one academic field the main area of specialized study at university.

Common phrases

영어교육을 전공하다yeong eo gyo yu geul cheon gong ha da
major in English education
컴퓨터공학을 전공하다keom pyu teo gong ha geul cheon gong ha da
major in computer engineering
대학에서 전공하다tae ha ge seo cheon gong ha da
major at university

Similar words

공부하다kongbuhada: To study steadily to build knowledge or improve a skill.
배우다paeuda: To acquire knowledge or a skill through teaching, experience, or repeated practice.

Definition in Korean

대학에서 특정 학과의 지식이나 기술을 전문적으로 익히는 것을 말한다.tae ha ge seo teuk jjeong hak kkwa ui chi si gi na ki su reul cheon mun jeo geu ro i ki neun keo seul mal han da

Word origin

The verb combines Sino-Korean jeongong, meaning specialized study, with hada, a common Korean verb-forming element.

Usage tips

In Korean, the field of study is marked as the object of the verb, so the field comes before the verb rather than after an English preposition.

Opposites

부전공하다pujeongonghadaminor inverb

Related words

전공cheongongmajornoun
전공자cheongongjamajornoun
전공과목cheongonggwamokmajor subjectnoun