留学生
ryūgakusei[ɾʲɨːɡa̠kɯ̟se̞ː]
The Japanese word for "international student" is 留学生, pronounced ryūgakusei.
Meaning: student (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is composed of the characters 留 (to stay/remain), 学 (study) and 生 (student/life), literally meaning "a student who stays to study."
How do you pronounce it?
ryūgakusei
Did you know?
- The concept of 留学 began centuries ago when Japanese scholars traveled to China to study Confucianism and Buddhism, making it a historical tradition of intellectual migration rather than just a modern academic choice.
- The character 生 in 留学生 refers to a student, but it is also the word for 'raw' or 'fresh', such as in 生ビール for a draft beer.
- While 'international student' is the direct translation, a Japanese person might refer to you simply as a 外国人学生 (gaikokujin gakusei), which literally means 'foreign student'.
Examples in context
- Ore wa ryuugakusei da. (俺は留学生だ。)I am an international student. (Casual tone)
- 彼はアメリカからの留学生です。Kare wa Amerika kara no ryuugakusei desu.He is an international student from America.
- 留学生の友達がいますか？Ryuugakusei no tomodachi ga imasu ka?Do you have any international student friends?
- この大学には留学生がたくさんいます。Kono daigaku ni wa ryuugakusei ga takusan imasu.There are many international students at this university.
Example conversation
Two university students are talking about a new classmate in the campus cafe.
- 健太 Kenta新しいクラスメイトは留学生ですか？Atarashii kurasumeito wa ryuugakusei desu ka?Is the new classmate an international student?
- 陽葵 Himariはい、フランスからの留学生ですよ。Hai, Furansu kara no ryuugakusei desu yo.Yes, she is an international student from France.
- 健太 Kenta陽葵さんは彼女と話しましたか？Himari-san wa kanojo to hanashimashita ka?Himari, did you talk to her?
- 陽葵 Himariまだですが、今度話してみたいです。Mada desu ga, kondo hanashite mitai desu.Not yet, but I want to try talking to her soon.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “international student” translations and entries 留学生, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
