専攻未定
senkō mitei
In Japanese, the phrase for "undecided major" is 専攻未定 (senkō mitei).
This term describes the status of a college student who has not yet chosen a specific field of study for their degree. It is most commonly used in formal administrative contexts, such as on university application forms, student IDs or official academic records.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of 専攻 (senkō) meaning 'major' and 未定 (mitei) meaning 'undecided' or 'not yet determined'.
Which one should you use?
専攻未定 is the standard noun phrase for the status. However, 未定の専攻 can be used to describe the 'undecided major' itself within a sentence. For a more casual way to say you are in the middle of deciding about your major, you can use 専攻迷い中.
How do you pronounce it?
senkō mitei
Did you know?
- Because Japanese academic culture often emphasizes the university name over the specific field, many students simply identify by their university rather than saying they are 専攻未定.
- The casual phrase 専攻迷い中 uses the verb 迷う (mayou), which describes the mental state of choosing a major as literally 'getting lost' or 'losing one's way'.
- The character 未 in 未定 is used to describe things that are not yet ripe, such as unripe fruit, linking the status of an undecided major to a natural state of immaturity.
Examples in context
- 私は現時点では専門未定です。I am currently undecided about my major.
- 今のところ、専攻未定です。Ima no tokoro, senkou mitei desu.For now, my major is undecided.
- 彼はまだ専攻未定の状態だ。Kare wa mada senkou mitei no joutai da.He is still in an undecided major status.
- 専攻未定の学生は多いですか？Senkou mitei no gakusei wa ooi desu ka?Are there many students with undecided majors?
Example conversation
Two university students are talking about their academic plans in a cafe.
- 陽葵 Himari蓮くんの専攻は何？Ren-kun no senkou wa nani?Ren, what is your major?
- 蓮 Ren今はまだ専攻未定だよ。Ima wa mada senkou mitei da yo.Right now, my major is undecided.
- 陽葵 Himariそうなんだ。何か興味はある？Sou nanda. Nani ka kyoumi wa aru?I see. Is there anything you're interested in?
- 蓮 Ren経済学に少し興味があるよ。Keizaigaku ni sukoshi kyoumi ga aru yo.I'm a little interested in economics.
