Kierunki

Kierunki is a Polish noun in the plural form, derived from kierunek. It denotes directions or courses and is used in several senses across geography, planning, and education. The singular form is kierunek, and kierunki covers the directions, lines of development, or fields of study.

In geographic and navigational contexts, kierunki designate bearings or compass directions, such as north, south, east, or west. The term also appears in phrases describing routes or directions of travel and traffic.

In planning and policy, kierunki can refer to strategic directions or lines of development. For example, kierunki działania or kierunki rozwoju specify the general aims a project, institution, or government intends to pursue, often structured as broad priorities rather than concrete measures.

In higher education, kierunki studiów denote fields of study or study programs offered by universities and colleges. This usage is common in catalogs and official documents. Examples of kierunki include informatyka (computer science), prawo (law), medycyna (medicine), and psychologia (psychology). A kierunek may be complemented by specjalności (specializations), profiles, or tracks within the program.

Etymology and usage notes: kierunki can also appear in phrases describing directions of movement (towards something) or in contexts of organizational orientation. The term is widely understood in Polish to cover both literal directions and more abstract fields of study or policy directions.