How to Say "Learning" in Japanese

学習

gakushū[ɡa̠kɯ̟̊ɕɨː]

The English word 'learning' translates to Japanese as 学習 (gakushū).

学習 refers to the action of learning.

Meaning: action of the verb (noun)

What does it mean word for word?

The word is composed of the characters 学 (study/learning) and 習 (learn/habituate/practice).

gakushū

Japanese distinguishes between 学習 (learning) and 勉強 (studying). While 学習 is the neutral act of acquiring knowledge, 勉強 contains a character meaning 'to force', reflecting the often grueling nature of schoolwork.
The second character in 学習, 習, originally depicted a bird flapping its wings to practice flying. This implies that 'learning' in Japanese is fundamentally linked to the idea of repeated, physical practice rather than just mental absorption.
While 学習 is used for academic or systematic study, if you want to talk about the more natural, intuitive process of picking up a skill, Japanese speakers often use the word 学び (manabi).

フランス語学習はもう始められましたか？
Have you already started learning French?
This sentence is useful for asking if someone has already started 学習 French.
Tatoeba #3474828 by arnab, translation #2451269 by CK
機械学習業界は、予測能力の向上に取り組んでいる。
The machine learning industry pursues the improvement of our predictive ability.
This sentence shows how 学習 is used in the context of 'machine learning'.
Tatoeba #10991735 by bunbuku, translation #11497108 by pip
私は日本人向けの英語学習用の教材を使って日本語を勉強しています。
I use English-learning resources, meant for Japanese people, to learn Japanese.
This sentence illustrates the use of 学習 in describing resources for English learning.
Tatoeba #10629938 by small_snow, translation #10629931 by DJ_Saidez
私は日本語の学習をしています
I am studying Japanese.
新しいことを学ぶのは楽しい
Learning new things is enjoyable.
10 more sentences on Tatoeba

Two friends are discussing their new hobbies at a cafe.

大翔 Hiroto

最近、何か新しい学習を始めたの？
Saikin, nanika atarashii gakushū o hajimeta no?
Have you started any new learning recently?
美咲 Misaki

うん、大翔君に憧れてプログラミングの学習を始めたよ。
Un, Hiroto-kun ni akogarete puroguramingu no gakushū o hajimeta yo.
Yes, I started learning programming because I admire you, Hiroto.
大翔 Hiroto

それはすごいね！独学での学習は大変じゃない？
Sore wa sugoi ne! Dokugaku de no gakushū wa taihen janai?
That's great! Isn't learning on your own difficult?
美咲 Misaki

少し難しいけど、学習すること自体が楽しいよ。
Sukoshi muzukashii kedo, gakushū suru koto jitai ga tanoshii yo.
It's a bit hard, but the act of learning itself is fun.

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