自然科学

• Reading: しぜんかがく
• Romaji: shizen kagaku
• Kanji breakdown: 自 (shi) — self; 然 (zen) — nature, so; 科 (ka) — department, branch; 学 (gaku) — study, learning
• Pronunciation: /ɕi.zeɴ ka.ga.kɯ/

Meaning

Natural science. The branch of knowledge dealing with the physical world, including physics, chemistry, and biology.

A noun covering the sciences that study nature and the physical world, as opposed to 社会科学 (shakai kagaku, social sciences) and 人文科学 (jinbun kagaku, humanities). Includes physics (物理学), chemistry (化学), biology (生物学), and earth sciences (地学). Common in academic and educational contexts when classifying fields of study.

Examples

1. 自然科学の分野では実験と観察が重要だ。 In the natural sciences, experimentation and observation are essential.
2. 大学で自然科学を専攻したいと考えている。 I am thinking of majoring in natural science in college.
3. 自然科学と社会科学の両方を学ぶことが大切だ。 It is important to study both natural science and social science.

Usage Guide

Context: academia, education, science

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

From Sino-Japanese: 自然 (shizen, nature) + 科学 (kagaku, science). Literally 'science of nature' — a term adopted during Japan's Meiji-era modernisation to translate Western academic categories.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal