学校に行く
gakkō ni iku
To go to school in Japanese is 学校に行く (gakkō ni iku).
The phrase is used to describe the act of traveling to a place of education to attend classes.
What does it mean word for word?
The term for school, 学校 (gakkō), is composed of characters meaning 'study' and 'building'. The particle に indicates the destination or direction of the movement.
Which one should you use?
Using へ instead of に in the phrase 学校へ行く emphasizes the direction of travel toward the school rather than the arrival at the destination.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For very formal situations, such as when a student expresses intention or a teacher asks about students' arrival, the word 登校します is used. In casual settings, you might hear 学校に行くよ or the more colloquial, younger-leaning phrase 学校行くわ.
How does it change in a sentence?
The particle に is used to indicate the destination of the movement.
How do you pronounce it?
gakkō ni iku
Did you know?
- Japanese students often use ランドセル (randoseru) for their school bags. The word comes from the Dutch 'ransel' and refers to a specific, sturdy leather backpack used primarily by elementary students.
- The term 登校 (tōkō) has a direct opposite, 下校 (gekō), meaning to go home from school. The characters literally mean 'climbing up' and 'descending'.
- In Japanese culture, the act of going to school is often associated with 登校班 (tōkō-han), which are organized groups of neighborhood children who walk to school together for safety.
Examples in context
- 学校に行く時間よ。It's time to go to school.This sentence is useful for noting the time to go to school using the form 学校に行く.Tatoeba #184467 by small_snow, translation #21595 by CK
- 明日は学校に行くよ。I'll go to school tomorrow.This sentence is useful for expressing an intention to go to school tomorrow using the form 学校に行く.Tatoeba #11016382 by small_snow, translation #10056564 by DJ_Saidez
- ７時には学校に行くよ。I'll go to school at seven.This sentence is useful for specifying a time to go to school using the form 学校に行く.Tatoeba #10134403 by small_snow, translation #10134364 by DJ_Saidez
- 明日、学校に行きます。Tomorrow, I will go to school.
- 22 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Misaki and Hiroto are talking at home in the morning.
- 美咲 Misakiもう学校に行く？mou gakkou ni iku?Are you going to school already?
- 大翔 Hirotoうん、学校に行くよ。un, gakkou ni iku yo.Yeah, I'm going to school.
- 美咲 Misaki忘れ物はない？wasuremono wa nai?Did you forget anything?
- 大翔 Hiroto大丈夫、全部持ったよ。daijoubu, zenbu motta yo.It's fine, I have everything.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
