文 学 部(ぶんがくぶ)

ぶんがくぶ

noun

Faculty of Letters, Faculty of Humanities

1. Faculty of Letters; Faculty of Humanities; School of Humanities

A division of a university dedicated to the study of literature, linguistics, philosophy, history, and related humanistic fields. In Japan, the 文学部(ぶんがくぶ) is one of the oldest faculties in traditional universities and typically covers language and literature (both Japanese and foreign), philosophy, psychology, history, and area studies.

彼女(かのじょ)は文学部(ぶんがくぶ)の学生(がくせい)だ。

She is a student in the Faculty of Letters.

文学部(ぶんがくぶ)では哲学(てつがく)や歴史(れきし)も学(まな)べる。

In the Faculty of Letters you can also study subjects like philosophy and history.

京都大学(きょうとだいがく)の文学部(ぶんがくぶ)に合格(ごうかく)するために三年間(さんねんかん)勉強(べんきょう)した。

I studied for three years to get accepted into the Faculty of Letters at Kyoto University.

文学部(ぶんがくぶ)は就職(しゅうしょく)に不利(ふり)だと言(い)われることもあるが、実際(じっさい)は進路(しんろ)が幅広(はばひろ)い。

People sometimes say the Faculty of Letters is a disadvantage for job hunting, but in reality its graduates have a wide range of career paths.

Compound of 文学(ぶんがく) ('literature; letters') and 学部(がくぶ) ('faculty; department'). Despite the name, a 文学部(ぶんがくぶ) covers much more than literature: it is the umbrella 'humanities' division of most Japanese universities.

TYPICAL DEPARTMENTS (within a 文学部(ぶんがくぶ)):

国文学(こくぶんがく): Japanese literature
英文学(えいぶんがく): English literature
言語学(げんごがく): linguistics
哲学(てつがく): philosophy
歴史学(れきしがく) / 史学(しがく): history
心理学(しんりがく): psychology (at some universities)
社会学(しゃかいがく): sociology (at some universities)

Common collocations

文学部(ぶんがくぶ)に入(はい)る / 文学部(ぶんがくぶ)に進(すす)む: to enter the Faculty of Letters
文学部(ぶんがくぶ)出身(しゅっしん): a graduate of the Faculty of Letters
文学部(ぶんがくぶ)の学生(がくせい): a student in the Faculty of Letters
文学部(ぶんがくぶ)を卒業(そつぎょう)する: to graduate from the Faculty of Letters
文学部(ぶんがくぶ)長(ちょう): dean of the Faculty of Letters

Usage

Often rendered in English as 'Faculty of Letters,' but 'Faculty of Humanities' or 'School of Humanities' is also common depending on the university's official translation.
Frequently contrasted with 'practical' faculties such as 経済学部(けいざいがくぶ) ('Economics'), 法学部(ほうがくぶ) ('Law'), or 工学部(こうがくぶ) ('Engineering'). There is a cultural stereotype that 文学部(ぶんがくぶ) students are less 'employable,' which is a frequent topic in 就活(しゅうかつ) ('job hunting') commentary.
At some universities the 文学部(ぶんがくぶ) has been renamed to 人文学部(じんぶんがくぶ) or 人文社会学部(じんぶんしゃかいがくぶ) to reflect its broader scope.

Related faculties

法学部(ほうがくぶ): Faculty of Law
経済学部(けいざいがくぶ): Faculty of Economics
理学部(りがくぶ): Faculty of Science
工学部(こうがくぶ): Faculty of Engineering
医学部(いがくぶ): Faculty of Medicine
教育学部(きょういくがくぶ): Faculty of Education

Related Words

Related: 法学部(ほうがくぶ) (Faculty of Law)

Related: 経済学部(けいざいがくぶ) (Faculty of Economics)

Related: 理学部(りがくぶ) (Faculty of Science)

Related: 工学部(こうがくぶ) (Faculty of Engineering)

Related: 医学部(いがくぶ) (Faculty of Medicine)

Related: 教育学部 (Faculty of Education)

Related: 農学部(のうがくぶ) (faculty of agriculture)

general

Added 2026.4.17 8:23 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02

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