学年
gakunen[ɡa̠kɯ̟nẽ̞ɴ]
The English phrase 'school year' is translated into Japanese as 学年 (gakunen).
Use 学年 when referring to a specific grade level or a group of students within the same year of study.
Meaning: academic year of a school (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is composed of 学 (study/learning) and 年 (year).
Which one should you use?
While 'school year' can refer to the duration of the academic cycle, 学年 specifically refers to the cohort of students in the same grade (e.g., 'the 3rd grade students').
How do you pronounce it?
gakunen
Did you know?
- In Japanese schools, a student's 学年 is often used as a social rank, where younger students are expected to use formal language when speaking to those in a higher 学年.
- Unlike many Western countries, the Japanese academic year begins in April rather than September or January. This means the new 学年 coincides with the start of the Japanese fiscal year and the new recruitment season for companies.
- Because the 学年 starts in April, a child born in March may be nearly a full year younger than their classmates in the same 学年.
Examples in context
- 日本では新学年は４月に始まる。In Japan, the school year begins in April.This sentence is useful for noting when the new 学年 begins in Japan.Tatoeba #122782 by small_snow, translation #281220 by CM
- 日本では、新学年は４月に始まる。In Japan a new school year starts in April.This sentence is useful for noting when the new 学年 starts in Japan.Tatoeba #3465049 by arnab, translation #281237 by CK
- 山田君ってさ、同じ学年の女子には人気ないけど、下級生にはモテるんだよね。Yamada isn't very popular with the girls in his school year, but he's popular amongst the younger students.This sentence uses 学年 to describe a group of students in the same grade.Tatoeba #920805 by bunbuku, translation #924092 by Scott
- 今年の学年末テストは大変です。This year's end-of-year exams are tough.
- 6 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Ren and Yui are talking about their children's school levels.
- 蓮 Renお子さんは今、何学年ですか？Okosan wa ima, nan gakunen desu ka?What school year is your child in now?
- 結衣 Yuiもう三学年になりました。Mou san gakunen ni narimashita.They are already in the third school year.
- 蓮 Ren早いですね。蓮くんと同じ学年ですね。Hayai desu ne. Ren-kun to onaji gakunen desu ne.That's fast. They are in the same school year as Ren.
- 結衣 Yuiはい、同じ学年で仲がいいです。Hai, onaji gakunen de naka ga ii desu.Yes, they are in the same school year and get along well.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “school year” translations and entries 学年, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
