Bungaku
/bɯ̟̃ŋɡa̠kɯ̟/noun
The Japanese term for literature or literary studies.
Did you know?Bungaku is written 文学, combining 文, ‘writing’ or ‘letters,’ with 学, ‘learning’; the compound entered Japanese through the prestige vocabulary of Classical Chinese.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient China
Old Chinese
文
“Writing, patterned marks, culture, or literary accomplishment”
Ancient China
Classical Chinese
文學
“Learning expressed through texts; literary scholarship”
6th–10th Century
Middle Chinese
文學 (mjun hɨwk)
“Literary learning or the study of written culture”
8th–12th Century
Japanese
文學 (bungaku)
“Learning through written works, adopted from Sino-Japanese scholarly vocabulary”
Modern Japanese
Japanese
文学 (bungaku)
“Literature, literary studies, or belles-lettres”
Modern English
English
bungaku
“A specialized romanization used when discussing Japanese literature or literary studies”