School Subjects in Japan: Japanese Vocabulary List

In anime classroom scenes, students argue over 数学 and sprint to 体育 after the bell — but what are those subjects actually called in Japanese school life? The labels on a Japanese timetable do not always match the English words learners expect, and a few pairs look almost identical until you learn the nuance.

This guide lists school subjects in Japanese with kanji, kana, and romaji, then expands into broader academic fields you will meet at university. Keep an eye on the kanji 学 (gaku), “to study / learning”: it shows up in many subject names.

If you want the bigger picture of how schools work day to day, see what Japanese schools are like. For higher education, there is also a guide on universities in Japan.

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Core school subjects in Japan

In elementary and secondary school, the everyday word for a class subject is often 教科 (kyōka) or 科目 (kamoku). The set below is the vocabulary you will hear most when Japanese people talk about their school days — not a full government curriculum chart, but the names that stick.

Kanji	Kana	Rōmaji	English
国語	こくご	kokugo	Japanese (national language class)
日本語	にほんご	nihongo	Japanese language (as a foreign language)
算数	さんすう	sansū	Arithmetic (mainly elementary)
数学	すうがく	sūgaku	Mathematics (from junior high up)
理科	りか	rika	Science (school science)
科学	かがく	kagaku	Science (broader / more advanced)
社会	しゃかい	shakai	Social studies
英語	えいご	eigo	English
体育	たいいく	taiiku	Physical education (P.E.)
音楽	おんがく	ongaku	Music
美術	びじゅつ	bijutsu	Art (fine arts)
家庭科	かていか	kateika	Home economics
道徳	どうとく	dōtoku	Moral education

• Kokugo vs nihongo: Japanese students study their native language as kokugo (“national language”). Nihongo is what you usually say when Japanese is taught as a foreign language.
• Sansū vs sūgaku: elementary math is often sansū; from junior high, the subject is sūgaku.
• Rika vs kagaku: school “science class” is commonly rika. Kagaku is the broader word for science (and, with different kanji 化学, also means chemistry — see below).

人文科学 / Jinbun kagaku / Humanities

Humanities fields deal with culture, thought, and human expression — not lab science. At university these often sit under 人文科学 (jinbun kagaku).

Kanji	Kana	Rōmaji	English
哲学	てつがく	tetsugaku	Philosophy
歴史	れきし	rekishi	History
文学	ぶんがく	bungaku	Literature
語学	ごがく	gogaku	Language study (learning a language)

• Gogaku should not be confused with 言語学 (gengogaku), “linguistics” — the scientific study of language in general.

社会科学 / Shakai kagaku / Social sciences

Social sciences look at how people organize societies, economies, and institutions.

Kanji	Kana	Rōmaji	English
心理学	しんりがく	shinrigaku	Psychology
社会学	しゃかいがく	shakaigaku	Sociology
言語学	げんごがく	gengogaku	Linguistics
人類学	じんるいがく	jinruigaku	Anthropology
地理(学)	ちり(がく)	chiri (gaku)	Geography
経済(学)	けいざい(がく)	keizai (gaku)	Economics
政治学	せいじがく	seijigaku	Political science

1. Do not confuse gengogaku with gogaku (learning a specific language such as Japanese or English).
2. 人類 (jinrui) = humanity / humankind.
3. 経済 (keizai) = economy / economics.
4. 政治 (seiji) = government / politics.

自然科学 / Shizen kagaku / Natural sciences

Natural sciences cover the physical and biological world. In high school and university, rika often splits into more specialized subjects like these.

Kanji	Kana	Rōmaji	English
生物(学)	せいぶつ(がく)	seibutsu (gaku)	Biology
化学	かがく	kagaku	Chemistry
物理(学)	ぶつり(がく)	butsuri (gaku)	Physics
天文(学)	てんもん(がく)	tenmon (gaku)	Astronomy
地質(学)	ちしつ(がく)	chishitsu (gaku)	Geology
環境科学	かんきょうかがく	kankyō kagaku	Environmental science

1. 生物 (seibutsu) = living things.
2. 科学 is also read kagaku and means “science” in general; 化学 (same reading) means chemistry — context and kanji decide which one you mean.
3. 環境 (kankyō) = environment.

Other subjects and university fields

Beyond the weekly timetable, Japanese also has names for specialized majors and less common fields. Some of these appear mainly at university or as electives.

Kanji	Kana	Rōmaji	English
統計(学)	とうけい(がく)	tōkei (gaku)	Statistics
工学	こうがく	kōgaku	Engineering
医学	いがく	igaku	Medicine / medical science
コンピュータ・サイエンス	コンピュータ・サイエンス	konpyūta saiensu	Computer science
雪氷学	せっぴょうがく	seppyōgaku	Glaciology
史学	しがく	shigaku	Historical studies
宗教	しゅうきょう	shūkyō	Religion

Optional clubs and school activities (部活, bukatsu) are not “subjects” in the same sense as 教科, but they take a huge share of student time — another reason Japanese school vocabulary goes far beyond the classroom list.

The tables above are a working vocabulary map, not every elective on every timetable. Once you can read 国語, 数学, 理科, and 体育 on a schedule, classroom talk and anime school scenes get a lot easier to follow.