専攻
senkō[sẽ̞ŋko̞ː]
To say university major in Japanese, use 専攻 (senkō), the specific field a student chooses to specialize in.
専攻 is the word students use when asked what they study at university.
What does it mean word for word?
専攻 is written with 専, meaning to specialize or exclusively and 攻, meaning to pursue or study. Together they mean specializing in a field of study.
Which one should you use?
専攻 is your specific field, such as organic chemistry, while 学部 (gakubu) is the broader faculty or department, such as science. 専門 (senmon) means specialty or expertise and is used more widely, while 専攻 is strictly academic.
How does it change in a sentence?
To state your major, use the pattern 専攻は…です, meaning my major is. To say you major in a subject, use the verb form 専攻する.
How do you pronounce it?
Say senkō with the second syllable held long.
Did you know?
- The kanji 攻 in 専攻 is the same character used in words for 'attack' or 'offense' in sports, suggesting an aggressive or focused pursuit of knowledge.
- In Japan, students often identify themselves by their 学部 ('faculty') rather than their 専攻 ('major') when meeting peers, as the broader department carries more social weight in university hierarchy.
- Japanese universities often use a system where students enter a broad 学部 ('faculty') and do not officially declare their specific 専攻 ('major') until their second or third year.
Examples in context
- 大学の専攻は何ですか？daigaku no senkou wa nan desu ka?What is your university major?
- 私の専攻は経済学です。watashi no senkou wa keizaigaku desu.My major is economics.
- 専攻を変えるのは難しいです。senkou o kaeru no wa muzukashii desu.Changing your major is difficult.
Example conversation
Yota and Misaki are talking about their studies at a party.
- 美咲 Misaki陽太さんは大学で何を専攻していますか？Yota-san wa daigaku de nani o senkou shite imasu ka?Yota, what are you majoring in at university?
- 陽太 Yota僕は心理学を専攻しています。Boku wa shinrigaku o senkou shite imasu.I am majoring in psychology.
- 美咲 Misakiすごいですね！面白そうな専攻です。Sugoi desu ne! Omoshirosouna senkou desu.That's great! That sounds like an interesting major.
- 陽太 Yotaありがとうございます。美咲さんは？Arigatou gozaimasu. Misaki-san wa?Thank you. How about you, Misaki?
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 専攻, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
