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独学 (どくがく) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

独どく学がく

ど

く

が

く

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

1

noun, noun or participle which takes 'suru', transitive verb, noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no'

self-study; self-education; self-instruction

Learning on one's own without formal instruction. Can be used as a noun, a suru-verb (独学する), or attributively with の (独学の).

彼かれは独どく学がくでプログラミングを身みにつけた。
He learned programming through self-study.
独どく学がくの方ほう法ほうについ

て

本ほん

を

読よ

ん

で

いる

。

I'm reading a book about methods of self-education.

Kanji

独single, alone, spontaneously
学study, learning, science

Similar words

独どく習しゅう
独習 also means self-study but emphasizes practice and exercises, often used for language or skill acquisition with materials.
自じ学がく
自学 is a broader term for self-directed learning, often used in educational contexts, while 独学 implies learning without a teacher.

Etymology

Compound of 独 (alone, by oneself) and 学 (learning, study). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the kanji combination naturally conveys 'studying alone'.