noun
The scientific or philosophical study of the origin, structure, and evolution of the universe.
彼は大学で宇宙論を専攻している。
He is majoring in cosmology at university.
最新の宇宙論によると、宇宙は加速膨張している。
According to the latest cosmology, the universe is expanding at an accelerating rate.
宇宙物理学 (astrophysics) applies physics to celestial phenomena; 宇宙論 is broader and includes philosophical aspects of the universe's origin and fate.
Compound of 宇宙 (uchū, 'universe') + 論 (ron, 'theory, discourse'). The term is a direct adaptation of the Western concept of cosmology, likely coined in the Meiji period as part of modern academic terminology.