Whether you are an exchange student or a foreign teacher in Japan, you will need to use Japanese school phrases in your daily life.
If you are a foreign student at a Japanese school, you should learn to communicate effectively with your classmates and teachers. Otherwise, the language barrier might make you feel isolated and outcasted if you don’t understand any Japanese.
In another case, if you are a foreign English teacher at a Japanese school, you may have a hard time connecting with your students on the school grounds if you don’t speak their language.
Either way, using Japanese school phrases will make your school life easier. In this blog article, you will learn the essential Japanese phrases you need to make the most of your time as a student or teacher at a Japanese school.
What’s So Different In Japanese Schools?
A day in a local Japanese school would be very different than your typical day in an American school. If you’re asking, “What makes it so different?” Here are the biggest differences between Japanese schools and American schools:
- There are no school buses in Japan.
- You need to pass an entrance exam to get into a high school.
- You must wear a uniform in high school.
- You must take your shoes off and wear indoor shoes before entering the school.
- Most students bring bento (packed lunch) and eat at their desks in the classroom.
- There are no janitors in Japanese schools. Students clean their schools daily.
- Summer break is five weeks long in Japan.
Vocabulary For Japanese Schools
Now, it’s time to learn some vocab! First things first, you should learn how to say in what type of school you’re studying or teaching at. Also, you must know the Japanese words for the classroom, so you won’t go into the wrong one by mistake!
| English | Japanese | Hiragana | Romaji |
|---|---|---|---|
| School | 学校 | がっこう | gakkō |
| Elementary school | 小学校 | しょうがっこう | shōgakkō |
| Junior high school | 中学校 | ちゅうがっこう | chūgakkō |
| Senior high school | 高等学校 | こうとうがっこう | kōtō gakkō |
| University | 大学 | だいがく | daigaku |
| Junior college | 短期大学 | たんき だいがく | tanki daigaku |
| Vocational school | 専門学校 | せんもん がっこう | senmon gakkō |
| Classroom | 教室 | きょうしつ | kyōshitsu |
Vocabulary For School Subjects
Then you should be able to talk about your favorite classes at school. Or if you’re a sensei (teacher), you can tell people what your subject is. So, here’s the Japanese vocabulary you need!
| English | Japanese | Hiragana | Romaji |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 数学 | すうがく | sūgaku |
| Science | 理科 | りか | rika |
| Physics | 物理 | ぶつり | butsuri |
| Chemistry | 化学 | かがく | kagaku |
| Biology | 生物 | せいぶつ | seibutsu |
| Geography | 地理 | ちり | chiri |
| Japanese | 国語 | こくご | Kokugo |
| English | 英語 | えいご | Eigo |
| Japanese History | 日本史 | にほんし | Nihonshi |
| World history | 世界史 | せかいし | sekaishi |
| Art | 美術 | びじゅつ | bijutsu |
| Physical education | 体育 | たいいく | taiiku |
| Music | 音楽 | おんがく | ongaku |
Vocabulary For School Routines
As I mentioned before, the daily routine in a Japanese school consists of different activities. Therefore, make sure you know the right words to understand, for example, when the seiso (cleaning) time is. That way, you won’t fall back on the class schedule.
| English | Japanese | Hiragana | Romaji |
|---|---|---|---|
| Morning assembly | 朝礼 | ちょうれい | chōrei |
| Examination | 試験 | しけん | shiken |
| Food service | 給食 | きゅうしょく | kyūshoku |
| Break | 休み時間 | やすみじかん | yasumi jikan |
| Cleaning | 清掃 | せいそう | seisō |
| Club activity | クラブ活動 | くらぶかつどう | kurabu katsudō |
Vocabulary For School Personnel
Knowing school personnel in Japanese is super important. By knowing these words, you’ll be able to find your way around, get help when you need it, and build awesome relationships with your colleagues if you are a foreign teacher.
| English | Japanese | Hiragana | Romaji |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teacher | 先生 | せんせい | sensei |
| Professor | 教授 | きょうじゅ | kyōju |
| School principal | 校長 | こうちょう | kōchō |
| Librarian | 司書 | ししょ | shisho |
| School caretaker | 用務員 | ようむいん | yōmuin |
Japanese School Phrases
Now that we’ve covered the most common Japanese vocabulary for school, let’s get to some commonly used Japanese phrases in a classroom setting.
Classroom Greetings
Greetings are the first thing that comes to my mind when I think of Japanese classroom phrases because they start the school day with a morning meeting. The good news is that you already know these phrases if you have read our blog post about basic phrases in Japanese!
| English | Japanese | Romaji |
|---|---|---|
| Good morning! | おはようございます | ohayou gozaimasu |
| Good afternoon! | こんにちは | konnichiwa |
| Good evening! | こんばんは | konbanwa |
| Thank you for your hard work! | お疲れ様でした | ohayou gozaimasu |
Taking Attendance
Nobody wants to miss the roll call! That’s why you need to understand when you hear the word tenko (roll call), so you can say shusseki (present) and let the teacher know you’re there.
| English | Japanese | Romaji |
|---|---|---|
| To take attendance | 出欠を取る | shukketsu o toru |
| Present | 出席 | shusseki |
| Absent | 欠席 | kesseki |
| Late | 遅刻 | chikoku |
| Excused absence | 公認欠席 | kounin kesseki |
| Unexcused absence | 無断欠席 | mudan kesseki |
Teacher Phrases In Japanese
Here are common Japanese phrases that teachers use during a class. If you’re a foreign teacher in a Japanese school, you may need these phrases for better classroom management.
- Please be quiet. – 静かにしてください (Shizuka ni shite kudasai)
- Please open your textbooks. – 教科書を開いてください (Kyōkasho o hiraite kudasai)
- Please write the answer on the blackboard. – 答えを黒板に書いてください (Kotae o kokuban ni kaite kudasai)
- Do you have any questions? – 質問はありますか (Shitsumon wa arimasu ka)
- Please divide into groups. – グループに分かれてください (Gurūpu ni wakarete kudasai)
- Please repeat this example sentence. – この例文を繰り返してください (Kono reibun o kurikaeshite kudasai)
Student Phrases In Japanese
Here are common phrases that Japanese students use when talking to each other during class. If you’re a foreign student in a Japanese school, these phrases can be helpful to get along with other students in the classroom.
- Do you have a textbook? – 教科書はありますか (Kyōkasho wa arimasu ka)
- I have a question. – 質問があります (Shitsumon ga arimasu)
- I don’t understand. – 分かりません (Wakarimasen)
- Please say it again. – もう一度言ってください (Mō ichido itte kudasai)
- May I go to the restroom? – お手洗いに行ってもいいですか (Otearai ni itte mo ii desu ka)
- Can I join your group? – グループに入れてもらえますか (Gurūpu ni irete moraemasu ka)
Before you go to Japan to study or teach, make sure you speak some conversational Japanese. I know the best place to learn the language! It’s right below!
Learn Japanese With Ling!
Ling provides tons of useful Japanese vocabulary that you can use in real-life dialogues. Bite-sized lessons, puzzles, and AI chatbots to practice real-life conversations are just some of Ling’s interactive activities.
Now grab your iOS or Android device and head to Google Play Store or Apple App Store. Download the Ling app, and connect through language!
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Until next time, じゃあまたね!
