学生
gakusei[ɡa̠kɯ̟̊se̞ː]
The English phrase "students" is translated into Japanese as 学生 (gakusei).
The word 学生 is the most common and widely understood way to say "students" in Japanese.
Which one should you use?
While 学生 is a general term for student, it is most commonly used to refer specifically to university-level students. For other levels, different terms are more appropriate: use 生徒 for middle school and high school students and 児童 for elementary school students.
Did you know?
- The two characters in 学生 use different phonetic systems from Chinese history, known as 'Go-on' and 'Kan-on', meaning they were not imported as a single cohesive word but as two separate historical layers.
- The character 学 in 学生 can be read as gak in many Japanese words, but it also has an alternative reading manabu which means 'to learn'.
- In a university setting, professors are rarely called by their names but are instead referred to as 先生 ('teacher'), while the students are the ones categorized as 学生.
Examples in context
- 大学生です。They're university students.Tatoeba #137609 by tommy_san, translation #9359926 by DJ_Saidez
- 学生の方ですか？Are you students?Tatoeba #10646760 by bunbuku, translation #71256 by CK
- みんな学生だよ。They are all students.Tatoeba #11912777 by small_snow, translation #7803205 by theachaean
- 「学生たちは熱心に勉強しています。」The students are studying diligently.
- 「新しい生徒を歓迎します。」We welcome the new students.
- 「学生っちゅうてんは夜遅くまで勉強せなあかんのやろ？」Students have to study late at night, right?
- 155 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two people are talking about their classmates at a cafe.
- 陽葵 Himariあの学生たちは、とても元気ですね。Ano gakuseitachi wa, totemo genki desu ne.Those students are very energetic, aren't they?
- 大翔 Hirotoはい、彼らはいつも楽しそうです。Hai, karera wa itsumo tanoshisou desu.Yes, they always look like they're having fun.
- 陽葵 Himari大翔さんも、学生の頃はそうでしたか？Hiroto-san mo, gakusei no koro wa sou deshita ka?Hiroto, were you like that when you were a student too?
- 大翔 Hiroto僕は、もっと静かな学生でしたよ。Boku wa, motto shizuka na gakusei deshita yo.I was a much quieter student.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 学生, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 学生, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
