How do you say "university professor" in Japanese?

大学教授

daigakukyōju

Noun Kanji

In Japanese, "university professor" is 大学教授 (daigakukyōju).

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Pronunciation

大学教授 is written using kanji. Romanised as daigakukyōju, it sounds roughly like "dah-ee-gah-koo-kyoh-joo" to an English ear.

Writing and usage

Daigakukyōju is built from three kanji: university (大学), teach (教), and professor (授). Kyōju is the term for any professor or instructor in higher education.

Example sentence

兄は大学教授になりたいと言っています。

Ani wa daigakukyōju ni naritai to itte imasu.

My older brother says he wants to become a university professor.

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How to remember 大学教授

The kanji 授 (to bestow or teach) appears in older or more formal teaching roles. Kyōju carries weight and implies advanced knowledge shared from teacher to student.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

See more Japanese nouns.

Questions about 大学教授

How do you pronounce 大学教授?

大学教授 is romanised as daigakukyōju. Say it roughly like "dah-ee-gah-koo-kyoh-joo" in English. Each Japanese syllable has even weight, so keep the rhythm steady.

Is 大学教授 formal or casual?

大学教授 is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech. The level of formality comes from the sentence structure around it, not from the word itself.

How is 大学教授 written in Japanese?

大学教授 is written using kanji. Daigakukyōju is built from three kanji: university (大学), teach (教), and professor (授).

Where can I practice Japanese words for free?

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"University professor" in other languages

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