合格
gōkaku
In Japanese, the verb for 'pass' is 合格 (gōkaku).
合格 is used when someone successfully meets a required standard or passes a test, such as an entrance examination. It is not used for 'passing' an object like a ball to someone else.
Meaning: to move or be moved from one place to another (verb)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is a compound of 合 (to join/fit) and 格 (standard/status), literally meaning to meet the required standard.
Which one should you use?
While 合格 refers specifically to passing a test or meeting a standard, if you want to describe the act of passing through something, like a physical barrier or security checkpoint, you should use 通過する.
How does it change in a sentence?
When saying you pass an exam, the particle に is used to indicate the thing being passed, such as in the phrase 試験に合格する (to pass an exam).
How do you pronounce it?
gōkaku
Did you know?
- In Japan, the announcement of 合格 for university entrance exams is often a massive family event, as the result determines a student's social status and future career path more than in many Western countries.
- The kanji 格 in 合格 is also used in the word 規格 (kikaku), which refers to industrial standards or specifications for products.
- If you are 'passing' a law in a political sense, Japanese uses 可決する, which is quite different from the 'passing' used in exams.
Examples in context
- 試験に合格できない。I can't pass the test.This sentence is useful for expressing the inability to pass a test using 合格.Tatoeba #11095677 by small_snow, translation #2883725 by AlanF_US
- 彼は入試に合格しそうだ。He's likely to pass the entrance examination.This sentence shows how to express the likelihood of passing an entrance exam using 合格.Tatoeba #101406 by bunbuku, translation #302290 by CK
- 彼は結局合格しなかった。He didn't pass after all.This sentence demonstrates how to state that someone did not pass using 合格.Tatoeba #107806 by small_snow, translation #295879 by CK
- 先週の試験に合格しました。I passed last week's exam.
- エアポートセキュリティを通過してください。Please pass through airport security.
- 書類を上司に渡してください。Please pass the documents to the boss.
- 合格した！I passed!
- ノートを渡してくれる？Can you pass me the notebook?
- 55 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Yui and Hiroto are checking their exam results online.
- 結衣 Yui大翔、合格した？Hiroto, gōkaku shita?Hiroto, did you pass?
- 大翔 Hirotoうん、合格したよ！Un, gōkaku shita yo!Yeah, I passed!
- 結衣 Yui本当？よかったね！Hontō? Yokatta ne!Really? I'm glad for you!
- 大翔 Hiroto結衣はどうだった？Yui wa dō datta?How about you, Yui?
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
