Translation guide
The academic study of cultures and peoples, often from a comparative or historical perspective. In Japanese, this is typically expressed with the term 民族学 (みんぞくがく), though related fields like cultural anthropology may be more common in some contexts.
ethnology (academic field)
Referring to the scholarly field that studies ethnic groups, their cultures, and origins.
The standard Japanese term for ethnology as an academic discipline. It specifically focuses on the comparative study of ethnic groups and their cultures.
In Japanese universities, 文化人類学 (cultural anthropology) is more commonly used as a department name than 民族学. However, 民族学 is the direct translation of 'ethnology' and is still used in academic contexts, especially when emphasizing the comparative study of ethnic groups. The distinction is often blurred in practice.
He is majoring in ethnology at university.
Cultural anthropology. In modern Japanese academia, this term is often used interchangeably with ethnology, though it may emphasize broader cultural aspects. Many university departments use this name.
We analyzed the ritual from an ethnological perspective.
Ethnography, the descriptive study of individual cultures. Sometimes used in contexts where ethnology is understood as the comparative synthesis of ethnographic data.
We conducted fieldwork using ethnological methods.