科目（かもく、kamoku）
- subject

The Japanese word 科目 (かもく, *kamoku*) refers to a "subject," "course," or "curriculum." It's used to denote a specific area of study within a school, university, or other educational institution. The word encompasses individual subjects like mathematics, history, or science. The word 科目 can also refer to the titles in a medical field.

⚫︎数学の科目は難しいです。 Translation: The math subject is difficult. ⚫︎大学で興味のある科目は何ですか？ Translation: What subjects are you interested in at university? ⚫︎時間割に、英語と日本史の科目が入っています。 Translation: The timetable includes English and Japanese history subjects.

You use 科目 when discussing school subjects, courses, or the curriculum. It's common in contexts involving education, such as discussing your studies, scheduling classes, or talking about what you are learning. You can use this word when talking about what to study.

The word 科目 is typically written with the kanji 科目, and the reading is かもく in hiragana. There are no other ways to write this word. The okurigana is standard.

⚫︎教科 (*kyouka*) - This also means "subject" or "school subject." ⚫︎授業 (*jugyou*) - This means "class" or "lesson." This word is less about the subject matter itself and more about the class session. ⚫︎コース (*koosu*) - This is a loanword from English "course".

There aren't direct antonyms for 科目 itself. However, you could consider words related to not studying or dropping a course.

私は今学期、五つの科目を履修しています。 ・Translation: I am taking five subjects this semester. ・Explanation: This sentence explains that the speaker is enrolled in five different courses of study.

試験の科目は全部で三つです。 ・Translation: There are three subjects on the exam. ・Explanation: This sentence indicates the number of subjects that will be assessed in a test or examination.

The word 科目 is composed of two kanji: 科 (ka), meaning "branch," "department," or "subject," and 目 (moku), meaning "item" or "category." Together, they combine to indicate an organized "subject" or "course" within a larger framework of study. The combination reflects the structured organization of academic disciplines.