How to say "astronomy" in Japanese

Choosing the right word
  • 天文てんもんCommon
    nounCovers astronomy in a broad, everyday sense, including astronomical phenomena and observation. It appears in general contexts such as stargazing and popular coverage of space, rather than naming the discipline itself.
    彼かれは天文学てんもんがく、即すなわち天文てんもんの学問がくもんの偉大いだいな権威けんいであった。↗
    He was a great authority on astronomy, or the science of the heavenly bodies.
  • 天文学てんもんがくCommon
    nounRefers to astronomy as a formal field of study or science, the subject taught and researched at universities. Choose this word when speaking of the academic discipline or the study of celestial bodies.
    マヤの聖職者せいしょくしゃたちは天文学てんもんがくをよく身みにつけていた。↗
    Maya priests learned much about astronomy.

Use 天文学 for astronomy as an academic field of study, and 天文 when referring to the broader topic or astronomical phenomena in general contexts.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

Japanese equivalents

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