Have you ever asked what school subjects there are in Japan? What subjects are covered at a university in Japan? The Japanese have a freedom when it comes to studying, they can choose which subjects to learn, of course there are mandatory ones. In this article, we are going to see a list of school subjects in Japanese.
Japanese subjects include Japanese language, social studies, mathematics, science, music, arts, health and physical education, as well as different classes such as domestic and industrial work, moral education and citizenship. It is worth mentioning the kanji Gaku [学] means to learn and study, it will be present in many of the subjects and words in this article.
Unlike school subjects in Brazil, academic subjects in Japan are divided into 4 categories that we will see throughout this article.
We also recommend reading:
- Universities in Japan: learn how to start your studies in the country
- How are schools in Japan? 50 Curiosities and Rules
人文学 / Hito bungaku / Human Sciences
Humanities does not refer to science as we know it, but to the study and human behavior.
| Kanji | Kana | romaji | Portuguese |
| 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 | the study of language |
- Gogaku is not to be confused with 言語学 (gengogaku) "linguistics" (study of language in general);
社会科学 / Shakai kagaku / Social Sciences
As the name suggests, this science studies the social aspects of the human world.
| Kanji | Kana | romaji | Portuguese | |
| 心理学 | しん りが く | shinrigaku | Psychology | |
| 社会学 | しゃ かい がく | shakaigaku | Sociology | |
| 1 | 言語学 | げん ごが く | gengogaku | Linguistics |
| 2 | 人類学 | じん るい がく | jinruigaku | Anthropology |
| 地理 (学) | ちり (がく) | chiri (gaku) | Geography | |
| 3 | 経済 (学) | けい ざい (がく) | Keizai (gaku) | Economy |
| 4 | 政治学 | せい じが く | seijigaku | political science |
- Not to be confused with gogaku (語学) "the study of language" (learning a language such as Japanese or English);
- 人類 (Jinrui) = Humanity;
- 経済 (Keizai) = Economy;
- 政治 (seiji) = Government / politics;
自然科学 / Shizen kagaku / Natural Sciences
| Kanji | Kana | romaji | Portuguese | |
| 1 | 生物 (学) | せい ぶつ (がく) | seibutsu (gaku) | Biology |
| 2 | 化学 | かが く | kagaku | Chemistry |
| 物理 (学) | ぶつ り (がく) | butsuri (gaku) | Physical | |
| 天文 (学) | てん もん (がく) | tenmon (gaku) | Astronomy | |
| 地質 (学) | ちし つ (がく) | chishitsu (gaku) | Geology | |
| 3 | 環境科学 | かん きょ うか がく | Kankyou kagaku | environmental science |
- 生物(seibutsu) = Living beings;
- 科学 = Also pronounced kagaku, means "science";
- 環境 (Kankyo) = Environment;
Other Japanese school subjects
| Kanji | Kana | romaji | Portuguese |
| 数学 | すう がく | suugaku | Math |
| 統計 (学) | とう けい (がく) | toukei (gaku) | Statistics |
| 工学 | こう がく | kougaku | Engineering |
| 医学 | いが く | igaku | medical science |
| コンピューター・サイエンス | Konpyūtā Saiensu | Computer science | |
| 英語 | えい ご | ego | English |
| 音楽 | おんがく | ongaku | Song |
| 雪氷学 | せっ ぴょ うが く | seppyougaku | glaciology |
| 史学 | しが く | shigaku | History |
| 家庭科 | かて いか | kateika | Domestic economy |
| 国語 | こく ご | kokugo | Japanese |
| 日本語 | にほ んご | nihongo | Japanese |
| 体育 | たい いく | taiku | PE |
| 宗教 | しゅ うき ょう | Shuukyou | Religion |
Unfortunately, some subjects may have been left off the list, such as optional subjects or school clubs. Thank you for visiting our site, we appreciate the comments and shares. xD
