课题

• Pinyin: kè tí
• Hanzi breakdown: 课 = 讠(speech) + 果 (fruit), related to teaching/lessons; 题 = 页 (page/head) + 是, meaning topic or title

Meaning

Research topic; subject; project. An academic or research question to be studied.

Commonly used in academic and research contexts for a research project, thesis topic, or subject of study. Also used more broadly for any problem or issue that needs to be addressed or solved, especially in professional or organizational contexts.

Examples

1. 她正在研究一个关于人工智能的课题。 She is researching a project on artificial intelligence.
2. 这个课题需要三年时间才能完成。 This research project will take three years to complete.
3. 如何提高教学质量是一个重要课题。 How to improve teaching quality is an important issue.

Usage Guide

Context: academic, research, professional

Tone: scholarly

Do Say

• 我的博士课题是关于气候变化的。(My doctoral research topic is about climate change.)
• 这个课题获得了国家资助。(This research project received national funding.)

Don't Say

• 今天的课题是数学。(For daily school subjects, use 课程 or just 课 — 课题 implies research projects)

Origin & History

课 (kè, lesson/subject) + 题 (tí, topic/question). Together they mean an academic subject or research topic.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Academic/Professional