What does it mean word for word?
The word 専攻 literally means "major" or "specialization". The part は何ですか？ means "is what?"
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The standard question 専攻は何ですか？ is suitable for most situations. If you are speaking to peers in an informal setting, you can say 専攻は何？ by dropping the "desu ka" part. When describing your own studies, you can use formal constructions such as 私は＿＿を勉強しています。 (I am studying ____.), ＿＿ という科目を学んでいます。 (I am learning a subject called ____.), or 私は＿＿を専攻しています。 (I am majoring in ____.). For informal situations, you might use ＿＿を勉強しているんだ。 (I am studying ____.), ＿＿っていうのを習っているよ。 (I am learning something called ____.), or ＿＿を専攻しているんだ。 (I am majoring in ____.).
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase 専攻は何ですか？ is a standard way to ask someone about their field of study.
How do you pronounce it?
senkou wa nan desu ka?
Did you know?
- When talking about their major, Japanese students often avoid saying 'I' (私は) because it is understood from context, and repeating it can sound unnatural or overly assertive.
- The word 専攻 contains the character 専, which means 'exclusive' or 'solely'. This reinforces the idea that a major is not just a subject you study, but the one you focus on exclusively.
- Japanese has several words for 'study', and 習う (narau) is specifically used for learning a skill from a teacher, such as piano or karate, rather than the academic study of 専攻.
Examples in context
- 私は日本文学を勉強しています。I am studying Japanese literature.
- コンピューターサイエンスを勉強しているんだ。I am studying computer science.
- 生物学Biology
- 化学Chemistry
- 化学と物理を学んでいます。I am learning chemistry and physics.
- 外国語を専攻しています。主に英語を勉強しています。I am majoring in foreign languages. I mainly study English.
- 大学での専攻は何ですか？Daigaku de no senkou wa nan desu ka?What is your major in university?
- あなたの専攻は何ですか？Anata no senkou wa nan desu ka?What is your major?
Example conversation
Two university students are getting to know each other at a cafe.
- 健太 Kenta陽葵さんの専攻は何ですか？Himari-san no senkou wa nan desu ka?What is your major, Himari?
- 陽葵 Himari文学です。健太さんは？Bungaku desu. Kenta-san wa?It's literature. How about you, Kenta?
- 健太 Kenta僕は工学を専攻しています。Boku wa kougaku o senkou shite imasu.I am majoring in engineering.
- 陽葵 Himariそれは大変そうですね。Sore wa taihen sou desu ne.That sounds difficult.
