ガクチカ
Meaning: What you worked hard on or devoted yourself to during college — a key concept in Japanese job hunting (就活).
ガクチカ is an essential term in Japanese job-hunting (就活) culture. It abbreviates 学生時代に力を入れたこと, referring to the experiences, achievements, and efforts a student highlights during job interviews. Preparing a strong ガクチカ narrative is considered crucial for landing a job in Japan, and university career centres dedicate significant resources to helping students craft theirs.
Examples
- ガクチカ何にするか全然決まってないんだけど。 ガクチカ写什么完全还没想好呢。No tengo ni idea de qué poner como mi ガクチカ.가쿠치카 뭘로 할지 아직 전혀 못 정했는데.
- 面接でガクチカ聞かれて頭真っ白になった。 面试时被问到ガクチカ,脑子一片空白。Me preguntaron por mi ガクチカ en la entrevista y me quedé en blanco.면접에서 가쿠치카 질문받고 머릿속이 하얘졌어.
- サークル活動をガクチカにする人めっちゃ多いよね。 用社团活动当ガクチカ的人超级多吧。Hay muchísima gente que usa las actividades de su club universitario como ガクチカ, ¿verdad?동아리 활동을 가쿠치카로 쓰는 사람 엄청 많지 않아?
Pronunciation
/ga.ku.tɕi.ka/
Usage Guide
Context: job hunting, university, career planning
Tone: practical, serious
✓ Do Say
- ガクチカのエピソードもう書いた? (Have you written your gakuchika story yet?)ガクチカ的故事写好了吗?(Have you written your gakuchika story yet?)¿Ya has escrito el relato de tu ガクチカ? (¿Ya has redactado tu gakuchika?)가쿠치카 에피소드 벌써 썼어? (가쿠치카 이야기 벌써 작성했어?)
- ガクチカは留学経験にしようと思う。 (I'm going to use my study abroad experience for my gakuchika.)我打算把留学经历写进ガクチカ。(I'm going to use my study abroad experience for my gakuchika.)Creo que voy a usar mi experiencia de estudiar en el extranjero como ガクチカ. (Voy a usar mi experiencia de intercambio para mi gakuchika.)가쿠치카는 유학 경험으로 하려고. (가쿠치카를 유학 경험으로 쓸 생각이야.)
✗ Don't Say
- 社会人に「ガクチカは?」 (Don't ask working adults about their gakuchika — it's a student/job-hunting term)对已经工作的人问「你的ガクチカ是什么?」(不要问已经工作的成年人ガクチカ——这是学生和求职阶段专用的术语)Preguntar a un profesional en activo por su ガクチカ (No preguntes a personas que ya trabajan por su gakuchika: es un término de estudiantes y búsqueda de empleo)직장인에게 「ガクチカは?」라고 묻는 것 (이미 일하는 사람에게 가쿠치카를 물으면 안 됨 — 학생·취활 전용 용어이므로)
Common Mistakes
- Using ガクチカ outside of job-hunting contexts — it is specifically tied to 就活 (shūkatsu)
- Not knowing it refers to a specific interview question format, not just general college activities
Origin & History
Abbreviated from 学生時代に力を入れたこと (gakusei jidai ni chikara wo ireta koto, 'what you put effort into during your student years'). Became standard job-hunting vocabulary in the 2010s as 就活 culture intensified.
Cultural Context
Era: 2010s, from Japanese job-hunting (就活) culture
Generation: University students and recent graduates
Social background: University-educated job seekers
Regional notes: Used nationwide in job-hunting contexts. One of many 就活 abbreviations alongside ガクチカ, 自己PR, ES (エントリーシート), etc.
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