高校生の時
kōkōsei no toki
To say "when I was in high school" in Japanese, use 高校生の時 (kōkōsei no toki).
高校生の時 usually opens a sentence about a memory from your teenage years, for example what you studied or which club you joined.
What does it mean word for word?
高校生 (kōkōsei) means high school student, の links the two nouns and 時 (toki) means time. Word for word it is the time of being a high school student.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase itself has no past tense. The past meaning comes from the verb at the end of the sentence.
When do people say it?
Japanese high school normally lasts three years, from about age 15 to 18.
Did you know?
- While 高校生の時 ('when I was a high school student') is standard, Japanese people often refer to their high school years as 青春 ('seishun'), which literally means 'blue spring' and evokes a nostalgic sense of youth and passion.
- The character 時 ('toki') used in 高校生の時 is also the root for the word 時計 ('tokei'), which means 'clock' or 'watch'.
- In Japan, if you use this phrase to talk about your 'club activities' (部活 – bukatsu), people will likely assume you spent several hours every single day practicing a sport or art, as these are a core part of the high school identity.
Examples in context
- 高校生の時、よくサッカーをしていました。Kōkōsei no toki, yoku sakkā o shite imashita.When I was in high school, I used to play soccer often.
- 高校生の時は、とても忙しかったです。Kōkōsei no toki wa, totemo isogashikatta desu.When I was in high school, I was very busy.
- 高校生の時、この街に住んでいました。Kōkōsei no toki, kono machi ni sunde imashita.When I was in high school, I lived in this town.
Example conversation
Ren and Misaki are talking about their hobbies.
- 蓮 Ren高校生の時、何が好きだった？Kōkōsei no toki, nani ga suki datta?What did you like when you were in high school?
- 美咲 Misaki私は本を読むのが好きでした。Watashi wa hon o yomu no ga suki deshita.I liked reading books.
- 蓮 Renそうなんだ。僕は音楽にハマっていたよ。Sō nanda. Boku wa ongaku ni hamatte ita yo.I see. I was really into music.
- 美咲 Misaki蓮さんはかっこいいですね。Ren-san wa kakkoii desu ne.Ren, you're so cool.
