博士

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 博士, read here as はくし, means a doctoral degree or a person who holds one.
• Basic usage: It is used when discussing earning a doctorate in a field; 博士号 makes the reference to the degree explicit.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• A degree and a profession
  • 博士号 is a doctorate, while 医師 is the profession of a medical doctor. Distinguish the two senses of English doctor.
• Reading the degree name
  • 博士 is read はくし when naming the degree. The reading はかせ also exists and is used, for example, as a title for a learned person.