How to Say "Degree" in Japanese

学位

gakui[ɡa̠kɯ̟i]

The Japanese word for academic degree is 学位 (gakui). Wiktionary also lists 号 (gō).

Meaning: academic award (noun)

Ways to say it

“degree” in Japanese
Japanese	Romanization (Wiktionary)	IPA
学位	gakui	[ɡa̠kɯ̟i] (narrow)
号	gō	[ɡo̞ː] (narrow)

学位 is used to refer to an academic award or degree earned through higher education.

The word 学位 is composed of the characters 学, meaning study or learning and 位, meaning position or rank.

gakui

The character 位 in 学位 is also used to denote ranks in traditional Japanese martial arts, such as in judo or karate.
While 学位 is the formal term for a degree, the character 号 can also refer to a professional title or a pseudonym used by artists and poets.
The character 位 in 学位 does not just mean 'position' in a social sense, but also implies a level of 'spiritual rank' or 'status' in traditional Buddhist contexts.

どこで学位を取りましたか。
Where did you get your degree?
This sentence is useful for asking where someone obtained their 学位.
Tatoeba #177637 by bunbuku, translation #2892807 by CK
彼女は生物学の学位を持っている。
She has a degree in biology.
This sentence is useful for stating that someone possesses a specific 学位.
Tatoeba #88342 by bunbuku, translation #315365 by CK
多くの大学で学位授与式が中止になった。
Many universities have stopped their degree-awarding ceremonies.
This sentence is useful for describing the cancellation of ceremonies involving the awarding of an 学位.
Tatoeba #8602046 by small_snow, translation #9987953 by tsp_2
彼は経済学の学位を持っています。
He has a degree in economics.
彼は修士号を取得しました。
He obtained a master's degree.
彼女は高い学歴を持っています。
She has a high level of education.
3 more sentences on Tatoeba

Youta and Misaki are talking about their future education goals.

陽太 Yota

美咲さんは、いつまでに学位を取りたいですか。
Misaki-san wa, itsu made ni gakui o toritai desu ka.
Misaki, by when do you want to get your degree?
美咲 Misaki

来年までには、修士の学位を取りたいです。
Rainen made ni wa, shūshi no gakui o toritai desu.
I want to get my master's degree by next year.
陽太 Yota

それはすごいですね。勉強は大変ですか。
Sore wa sugoi desu ne. Benkyō wa taihen desu ka.
That's impressive. Is the studying difficult?
美咲 Misaki

はい、でも学位のために頑張ります。
Hai, demo gakui no tame ni ganbarimasu.
Yes, but I will do my best for the degree.

Sources

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