医い学がく博士はかせ

also: いがくはくし

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Meanings

1

noun

Doctor of Medicine; MD

An academic or professional title for a medical doctor who holds a doctoral degree. Often abbreviated as 医博 (いはく).

Written forms

医学博士
- いがくはかせ
  Standard kanji spelling. The reading いがくはかせ is the most common pronunciation for this title.
- いがくはくし
  Alternate reading using the on'yomi はくし for 博士. Less common than はかせ for this compound, but still encountered.
いがくはくし

Kanji

医doctor, medicine
学study, learning, science
博Dr., command, esteem
士gentleman, scholar, samurai

Similar words

医い博はく
Abbreviation of 医学博士. Used in academic or professional contexts, but less formal than the full title.
博士はかせ
General term for a doctor (PhD or professional doctorate). 医学博士 specifies the field of medicine.

Etymology

Compound of 医学 (medicine) and 博士 (doctor/PhD). The reading はかせ for 博士 is a native Japanese word, while はくし is the Sino-Japanese reading. Both are used, but はかせ is more common in this compound.