2026-10-31

College majors in Chinese: say what you study

By Lock In

A college major in Mandarin Chinese is 专业 (zhuānyè). To say yours, use 我的专业是… (Wǒ de zhuānyè shì…), "My major is…", followed by the subject. For example: 我的专业是数学。 (Wǒ de zhuānyè shì shùxué.) "My major is mathematics."

To ask the question back, say 你的专业是什么？ (Nǐ de zhuānyè shì shénme?) "What's your major?" HSK Academy's 专业 entry includes this university meaning alongside "specialty" and "specialized field".

Name the subject, then put it in a sentence

Start with the subject you actually study. These names work in a conversation; for an application or a transcript translation, check your university's exact program title rather than treating a short subject name as the official degree name.

SubjectChinesePinyin
Mathematics数学shùxué
Physics物理wùlǐ
Chemistry化学huàxué
Medicine医学yīxué
Literature文学wénxué
Philosophy哲学zhéxué
History历史lìshǐ
Music音乐yīnyuè
Fine arts美术měishù
Accounting会计kuàijì

The readings and meanings follow CC-CEDICT, credited below. Try replacing just the subject in the opening sentence: 我的专业是化学。 (Wǒ de zhuānyè shì huàxué.) "My major is chemistry."

When 学 makes the subject clearer

学 (xué) can mean "to study", but it also appears in names of academic disciplines. Compare the everyday noun with the field of study:

Everyday wordField of study
经济 (jīngjì), economy经济学 (jīngjìxué), economics
社会 (shèhuì), society社会学 (shèhuìxué), sociology
语言 (yǔyán), language语言学 (yǔyánxué), linguistics

These distinctions matter when you are choosing a major's name. 语言 (yǔyán) alone means language, not specifically linguistics. 社会 (shèhuì) alone means society, not the name of the discipline sociology.

For other subjects, useful names include 心理学 (xīnlǐxué), psychology; 生物学 (shēngwùxué), biology; and 法学 (fǎxué), law or legal studies. 计算机科学 (jìsuànjī kēxué) is computer science. For business administration, use 工商管理 (gōngshāng guǎnlǐ) rather than the word for economics.

You may also see 会计学 (kuàijìxué) for accounting and 历史学 (lìshǐxué) for history. Do not turn this into a rule that every subject needs another 学: 数学 (shùxué), 化学 (huàxué), and 文学 (wénxué) already contain it, while 音乐 (yīnyuè) works without it.

Here is a sentence where 学 does two jobs:

我学经济学。 (Wǒ xué jīngjìxué.) I study economics.

The first 学 is the verb "study". The last belongs to the subject name 经济学. They are not an accidental repetition.

Studying something is not always majoring in it

我学中文。 (Wǒ xué zhōngwén.) means "I study Chinese." That sentence alone does not say Chinese is your college major. You might be taking a class alongside another subject. Our guide to saying Chinese in Chinese explains 中文 (zhōngwén) and other names for the language.

When the distinction matters, choose a more specific pattern:

  • 我的专业是经济学。 (Wǒ de zhuānyè shì jīngjìxué.) My major is economics.
  • 我主修经济学。 (Wǒ zhǔxiū jīngjìxué.) I major in economics.
  • 我辅修心理学。 (Wǒ fǔxiū xīnlǐxué.) I minor in psychology.

主修 (zhǔxiū) means to major in; 辅修 (fǔxiū) means to minor in. Use the last sentence only if psychology is actually your minor, not just a class you enjoy.

For a short conversation, you do not need all three patterns:

  • A: 你的专业是什么？ (Nǐ de zhuānyè shì shénme?) What's your major?
  • B: 我的专业是计算机科学。你呢？ (Wǒ de zhuānyè shì jìsuànjī kēxué. Nǐ ne?) My major is computer science. What about you?
  • A: 我学文学。 (Wǒ xué wénxué.) I study literature.

The context makes the last answer useful in this exchange. Outside that context, use 专业 or 主修 when you need to make the major explicit.

Practise the answer, not just the list

Cover the suggestions and answer aloud.

  1. Someone asks your major. Say that it is chemistry.
  2. You mean linguistics, not simply language. Which fits: 语言 (yǔyán) or 语言学 (yǔyánxué)?
  3. Say "I study economics" with 学 (xué) as the verb.
  4. Say "I major in accounting." Check the first syllable of accounting before speaking.

Suggested answers:

  1. 我的专业是化学。 (Wǒ de zhuānyè shì huàxué.) My major is chemistry.
  2. 语言学 (yǔyánxué), linguistics.
  3. 我学经济学。 (Wǒ xué jīngjìxué.) I study economics.
  4. 我主修会计。 (Wǒ zhǔxiū kuàijì.) I major in accounting.

Now recall the words without the sentence clues.

  • 专业Tap to reveal
    zhuān yè

    specialty; specialized field

  • 数学Tap to reveal
    shù xué

    mathematics

  • 化学Tap to reveal
    huà xué

    chemistry; chemical

  • 文学Tap to reveal
    wén xué

    literature

  • 音乐Tap to reveal
    yīnyuè

    music

  • 会计Tap to reveal
    kuài jì

    accountant; accountancy

Got it: 0 of 6

When a subject word such as 数学 appears on Lock In's Lock Screen widget, use it as a cue to answer "What's your major?" aloud. Then replace it with your own subject. This is a speaking exercise you do yourself; the widget does not check your sentence or your university's program name.

If the surrounding words still slow you down, start with the school and student vocabulary in HSK 1 in your pocket, then come back to your introduction.

Further reading

  • HSK Academy: 专业, for the college-major meaning and university examples.
  • HSK Academy: 会计 and 音乐, for the two pronunciation checks above.
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Word data: CC-CEDICT, CC BY-SA 4.0, adapted.

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