(ちりがく)

ちりがく
noun
geography (academic discipline)
1. geography (academic discipline)
The academic study of the earth's physical features, climate, population, and the relationships between people and their environments.
大学(だいがく)地理学(ちりがく)専攻(せんこう)している。
I'm majoring in geography at university.
地理学(ちりがく)自然(しぜん)人間(にんげん)関係(かんけい)研究(けんきゅう)する学問(がくもん)だ。
Geography is a discipline that studies the relationship between nature and humans.
近年(きんねん)地理学(ちりがく)都市計画(としけいかく)防災(ぼうさい)など実践的(じっせんてき)分野(ぶんや)でも注目(ちゅうもく)されている。
In recent years, geography has been gaining attention in practical fields such as urban planning and disaster prevention.

A compound of 地理(ちり) (geography, topography) and (がく) (study, discipline). 地理学(ちりがく) is the formal academic term, while 地理(ちり) alone is used more casually for geography as a school subject.

In Japanese high schools, geography is grouped under 社会(しゃかい) (social studies) alongside 歴史(れきし) (history) and 公民(こうみん) (civics).

COMMON COLLOCATIONS:

  • 地理学(ちりがく)(しゃ): geographer
  • 人文(じんぶん)地理学(ちりがく): human geography
  • 自然(しぜん)地理学(ちりがく): physical geography
  • 地理学(ちりがく)(): geography department

SIMILAR WORDS:

  • 地理(ちり): geography — the everyday or school-subject term, while 地理学(ちりがく) emphasizes the academic discipline
  • 地学(ちがく): earth science — a broader field including geology, meteorology, and astronomy
  • 地質学(ちしつがく): geology — the study of rocks, minerals, and earth's structure