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科目 (かもく) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Common word JLPT N3 Freq. Frequency Top 10,000 Meanings 1
noun
school subject ; course ; curriculum subject
Used for subjects or courses in school, university, examinations, or a curriculum; common in compounds such as 必修科目 and 選択科目.
。
This semester I have three required courses.
2
noun
item ; heading ; entry
Refers to a categorized item or heading in lists, budgets, accounts, and similar documents; especially familiar in 勘定科目, an account title or accounting item.
Written forms 科か 目もく Usage 98%
Standard high-priority spelling for school subjects, courses, and categorized items such as accounting headings.
課か 目もく Usage 2%
Attested alternative kanji spelling; 科目 is the safer general spelling for learners.
Kanji 科 department, course, section 課 chapter, lesson, section Similar words 教きょう 科か Also means a school subject, but is more specifically an educational subject area such as 国語 or 理科; 科目 is broader and also covers university courses and exam subjects.
授じゅ 業ぎょう Means a class or lesson as an event or period of instruction, whereas 科目 means the subject or course category.
項こう 目もく Means an item or entry in a list more generally; 科目 is used for classified categories such as school subjects, budget items, or accounting headings.
Etymology A Sino-Japanese compound: 科 refers to a category, department, or course, and 目 to an item or heading. The compound is conventionally used for classified items, including school subjects and accounting headings.