How to say "department" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- 部ぶnoun, noun (suffix)A department as a unit of a company or other organization; this is the word you want for the workplace sense, and it also covers 'division', 'bureau', and 'faculty'.
- 県けんnoun, noun (suffix)Not a word for organizational departments: it names an administrative division — a Japanese prefecture, or a county or province elsewhere — and matches 'department' only for the departments of France.
- 科かnoun, noun (suffix)The department of a university or hospital — an academic or medical unit; for a department inside a company, 部 is the word instead.
- 局きょくnoun, noun (suffix)A bureau or department, typically a government office or agency rather than a unit of a private company, for which 部 is the word to reach for.
- 分科ぶんかnounDenotes a branch or section of a larger organization; as a way to say 'department' it is marginal — seldom the word you actually want.
For a department inside a company or organization use 部, for a university or hospital department 科, for a government bureau 局; 県 fits only France's administrative departments, and 分科 is a marginal branch term.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
- 部ぶdepartment (in an organization, company, etc.)
- 県けんprefecture (of Japan)
- 科かdepartment (of a university or hospital)
- 局きょくbureau
- 分科ぶんかdepartment
- 部局ぶきょくdepartment
- 部署ぶしょone's post
- 部門ぶもんdivision (of a larger group)
- 売り場うりばselling area
- 学部がくぶfaculty (of a university)
- 省しょうministry
- デパートメントdepartment
- 学群がくぐんschool (within a university)
- 教室きょうしつdepartment (in a university)
- コーナーarea
- 課かsection (in an organization)
- 学科がっかdepartment (of a university)
- デパートdepartment
- 部会ぶかいdivision (of a larger organisation)
- 州しゅうprovince (of ancient China)
See also
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