noun
The study of judging character or fate from facial features. A formal, somewhat academic term.
彼は人相学に基づいて相手の性格を判断しようとした。
He tried to judge the other person's character based on physiognomy.
A near-synonym also meaning physiognomy, but 人相学 is more common.
Compound of 人相 (physiognomy, facial features) and 学 (study, -ology). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term follows a common pattern for academic disciplines.