J.K. Rowling studied French at the University of Exeter alongside the Classics.
She completed a French and Classics degree and graduated in 1987. Her course combined a modern language with the study of the ancient Greek and Roman worlds, giving her experience with language, literature, history, and mythology.
Readers often connect her classical studies with the names and terminology in Harry Potter. Many wizarding expressions draw on Latin or classical ideas, although the books also use English wordplay, folklore, and invented language.
French also became relevant to Rowling’s early working life: after university, she worked as a bilingual secretary and researcher. Her degree was not a creative-writing qualification, but it provided linguistic and literary knowledge that became part of her authorial background.