修学旅行
shūgakuryokō[ɕɨːɡa̠kɯ̟ ɾʲo̞ko̞ː]
The Japanese term for school trip is 修学旅行 (shūgakuryokō).
修学旅行 specifically refers to the major, often multi-day, organized trips taken by students (typically middle or high schoolers) as part of their curriculum, rather than a simple day outing.
Meaning: journey by schoolchildren (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is composed of 修学 (shūgaku), meaning 'study/learning' and 旅行 (ryokō), meaning 'travel/trip'.
Which one should you use?
While 修学旅行 (shūgakuryokō) refers to a major, multi-day educational trip, 遠足 (ensoku) is used for shorter, often single-day excursions or field trips.
How does it change in a sentence?
To say 'to go on a school trip', you use the particle に (ni) with the verb 行く (iku).
How do you pronounce it?
shūgakuryokō
Did you know?
- In Japan, the 修学旅行 is often a rite of passage where students stay in traditional inns called 旅館 (ryokan) and sleep on futons in one large room with their classmates.
- While 修学旅行 is for major trips, the word 遠足 (ensoku) used for shorter outings literally means 'distant walking', emphasizing the act of trekking over the destination.
- The word 修学旅行 is frequently used in Japanese anime and manga as a plot device to create romantic tension among students who are away from home for the first time.
Examples in context
- 修学旅行は奈良だったよ。We went on a school trip to Nara.This sentence shows how to specify a destination like Nara using 修学旅行.Tatoeba #10749672 by small_snow, translation #21572 by Zifre
- 修学旅行は、志賀高原にスキーに行きました。We went skiing in Shiga Kogen for our school trip.This sentence uses 修学旅行 to describe a skiing trip in Shiga Kogen.Tatoeba #10762761 by small_snow, translation #11488020 by pip
- 私は修学旅行にいくよりもむしろ家にいたいです。I'd rather stay home than go on the school trip.This sentence expresses a preference for staying home over going on the 修学旅行.Tatoeba #191892 by bunbuku, translation #931067 by Scott
- Watashitachi no kurasu wa kotoshi shugaku ryoko ga arimasu. (私たちのクラスは今年修学旅行があります。)Our class has a school trip this year.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two high school friends are talking about their upcoming plans.
- 美咲 Misaki来月の修学旅行、楽しみだね。Raigetsu no shūgaku ryokō, tanoshimi dane.I'm looking forward to next month's school trip.
- 陽太 Yotaうん、どこに行くか決まった？Un, doko ni iku ka kimatta?Yeah, have we decided where we're going?
- 美咲 Misaki京都に行く予定だよ。Kyōto ni iku yotei dayo.We are planning to go to Kyoto.
- 陽太 Yotaいいなあ、僕も楽しみだよ。Ii naa, boku mo tanoshimi dayo.That sounds great, I'm excited too.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “school trip” translations and entries 修学旅行, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
