学部生
gakubusei
In Japanese, the phrase for undergraduate student is 学部生 (gakubusei).
The term 学部生 refers to a student studying for their first degree at a college or university. It is commonly used in formal academic contexts, such as official introductions or university administrative documents.
How do you pronounce it?
gakubusei
Did you know?
- Unlike the US system where 'undergraduate' covers a wide range of liberal arts, a 学部生 in Japan is typically locked into a very rigid 学部 (faculty) from day one with little flexibility to change majors.
- In Japanese, the word for 'student' in 学部生 is 生, which is also the same character used in the word for 'birth' or 'life', 誕生 (tanjou).
- The character 生 (sei) in 学部生 is part of a vast family of student suffixes, such as 留学生 (ryugakusei) for international students and 受験生 (jukensei) for students preparing for entrance exams.
Examples in context
- 彼はまだ学部生です。Kare wa mada gakubusei desu.He is still an undergraduate student.
- 学部生向けのセミナーがあります。Gakubusei muke no semina ga arimasu.There is a seminar for undergraduate students.
- 学部生の時は、とても忙しかったです。Gakubusei no toki wa, totemo isogashikatta desu.When I was an undergraduate student, I was very busy.
Example conversation
Two students are talking about their studies at a university.
- 大翔 Hiroto陽葵さんは学部生ですか。Himarī-san wa gakubusei desu ka.Himarī, are you an undergraduate student?
- 陽葵 Himariはい、今はまだ学部生です。Hai, ima wa mada gakubusei desu.Yes, I am still an undergraduate student now.
- 大翔 Hirotoそうですか。いつ卒業しますか。Sō desu ka. Itsu sotsugyō shimasu ka.I see. When do you graduate?
- 陽葵 Himari来年の春に卒業します。Rainen no haru ni sotsugyō shimasu.I will graduate next spring.
