Japanese for School Life

Understanding your schools schedule is an adjustment that may take time. See below for some information about how to understand your school’s calendar and daily system.

Every school has an annual calendar. This is distributed in April (the beginning of Japan’s academic year) and covers the school year from April to March.

If you do not already have a copy of this, you should ask for it. Bear in mind that it is considered a plan, and is not always up to date. You may receive monthly calendars with a more precise and accurate plan. In fact, at the bottom of each month on the annual calendar, there may be a list of events without exact dates.

The calendar (and updates) may be left on your desk or in your mailbox. If you don’t receive a copy automatically, ask your supervisor for one.

Calendar Organization

年	Year	ねん (nen)
令和	Reiwa	れいわ (reiwa) Era name. Refers to the reign of the current Emperor Naruhito. 令和３ = 2021; 令和４ = 2022; etc.
令和３年度	Fiscal Year Reiwa 3 (2021)	れいわさんねんど (reiwa san nen do) Fiscal years change in April. February 2022 will be in the year Reiwa 4, but Fiscal Year Reiwa 3.

Seasons

春	Spring	はる  (haru)
夏	Summer	なつ  (natsu)
秋	Fall	あき  (aki)
冬	Winter	ふゆ  (fuyu)

Holidays

休	Rest	きゅう (kyuu)
祝	Holiday	しゅく (shuku)
代休	Substitute Leave A holiday given in lieu of another working day – e.g.: if you work on a Saturday for the culture festival, you may have daikyuu during the week.	だいきゅう (daikyuu)
振替休日	Substitute Holiday Another word for daikyuu, same as above.	ふりかえ きゅうじつ (furikae kyuujitsu)
年休	Annual Paid Leave Prefectural ALTs get 20 days per year. You may roll over a maximum of 12 days to the next year.	ねんきゅう (nenkyuu)
病休	Sick Leave Usually reserved for serious illnesses, hospitalisation, or when you acquire a doctor’s note. You can receive sick leave, but clarify your school’s procedure for sick leave in advance. Note cultural differences: Japanese teachers will usually come to work or take nenkyuu for a cold or fever.	びょうきゅう (byoukyuu)
特休	Special Leave This is generally granted at the Vice Principal’s discretion. It can be paid or unpaid leave and is used in any special circumstance. Check your Terms and Conditions for more information.	とっきゅう (tokkyuu)

Months

Days of the Week

School Words

Students

Teachers and Staff

Places

室	Room	しつ (shitsu)
職員室	Teachers’ Room	しょくいんしつ (shokuinshitsu)
事務室	Office Room	じむしつ (jimushitsu)
校長室	Principal’s Office	こうちょうしつ (kouchoushitsu)
館	Hall or Building	かん (kan)
体育館	Gymnasium	たいいくかん (taiikukan)
図書館	Library	としょかん (toshokan)
食堂	School cafeteria (SHS)	しょくどう (shokudou)
給食	School lunch (ES & JHS)	きゅうしょく (kyuushoku)

Timetable / Schedule for Classes

授業	Class	じゅぎょう (jyugyou)
平常授業	Normal Classes (no schedule change)	へいじょうじゅきょう (heijyou jyugyou)
特別時間割	Special Time Table (schedule change)	とくべつじかんわり (tokubetsu jikanwari)
課外	Extra Classes These can take place before school, after school, and during vacations.	かがい (kagai)
土曜セミナー	Saturday Seminar Classes	どようせみなー (doyou seminaa)

Tests

考査	Exam	こうさ (kousa)
試験	Test	しけん (shiken)
テスト	Test	てすと (test)
中間考査	Midterm Exam Usually occurs twice a year.	ちゅうかんこうさ (chuukankousa)
中間試験	Same as above.	ちゅうかんしけん (chuukanshiken)
期末考査	Final Exam Usually occurs three times a year, at the end of the first, second, and third semesters. In many SHS, 3rd years have their 3rd semester final exams in late Jan. while 1st and 2nd years have them in mid-Feb.	きまつこうさ (kimatsukousa)
期末試験	Final Exam Same as above.	きまつしけん (kimatsushiken)
課題テスト	Review Test After vacations, students are tested on the material they were assigned over vacation.	かだいてすと (kadai test)

JHS Calendar:  SHS Entrance Exams

入	Enter	にゅう (nyuu)
入学試験（入試）	Entrance Exam (Abbreviation)	にゅうがく　しけん （にゅうし）(nyuugaku shiken) (nyuushi)
公立高校入試	Public HS Entrance Exam	こうりつ　こうこう にゅうし (kouritsu koukou nyuushi)
私立高校入試	Private HS Entrance Exam	しりつ　こうこう にゅうし (shiritsu koukou nyuushi)

SHS Calendar:  SHS Entrance Exams

中学生体験入学	Open School Day JHS students to visit and experience life and classes at your SHS. Usually held in October.	ちゅうがくせいたいけんにゅうがく (chuugakusei taiken nyuugaku)
推薦入試	Special Entrance Exam Entrance exam for JHS students recommended by their schools as a good match for your SHS. Held in February. Usually consists of an interview and an essay.	すいせんにゅうし (suisen nyuushi)
学力検査	Standard Entrance Exam Entrance exam for all JHS students who want admission to your SHS but haven’t been recommended. Held in March. Consists of subject tests in Japanese, English, Math, etc.	がくりょくけんさ (gakuryoku kensa)
個性重視の特別試験	Interview Interview following 学力検査. Not every school holds this interview.	こせいじゅうしの とくべつしけん (kosei jyuushi no tokubetsu shiken)
転編入考査	Transfer Students’ Applications	てんへんにゅうこうさ (tenhen nyuukousa)
転入考査	Transfer Students’ Applications	てんにゅうこうさ (tennyuukousa)

College Entrance Exams

模擬試験	Mock Exam A practice exam to prepare for college entrance exams. There are two types of mock tests. One is to prepare for the Center Test. The other is to prepare for college entrance exams.	もぎしけん (mogishiken)
大学入試センター試験	Center Test Third-years take this test in Jan. Some private colleges do look at these test scores, but for the most part, this test is used to help the student decide what their level is and which colleges they are likely to be accepted to. Often abbreviated to exclude the first four Kanji.	だいがく にゅうし せんたー しけん (daigaku nyuushi center shiken)
二次試験	College Entrance Exam	にじしけん (nijishiken)
後期試験	College Entrance Exam	こうきしけん (koukishiken)

Ceremonies

全校朝礼	Whole School Morning Assembly Generally, this assembly occurs on the first school day of every month. It will probably take place in the gym and will involve many speeches and maybe even an awards ceremony. On this day, chances are all classes will be shortened.	ぜんこうちょうれい (zenkouchourei)
式	Ceremony Anything ending with this kanji is a ceremony.	しき (shiki)
入学式	Entrance Ceremony Occurs in April to welcome to new students to the school.	にゅうがくしき (nyuugakushiki)
始業式	Opening Ceremony Occurs at the start of every semester. Note: 始 means “to start.”	しぎょうしき (shigyoushiki)
終業式	Closing Ceremony Occurs at the end of every semester. Note: 終 means “to finish.”	しゅうぎょうしき (shuugyoushiki)
卒業式	Graduation Ceremony Usually March 1. For SHS, graduating third-years only come to school once a week in Feb. and graduate on March 1, even though first- and second-year students have classes through mid-March.	そつぎょうしき (sotsugyoushiki)

Meetings

会	Meeting A meeting, assembly, gathering, or group. Anything with this kanji is probably some sort of meeting group or party.	かい (kai)
会議	Staff Meeting Not an all-school-staff meeting, sometimes just for specific departments or other affiliation.	かいぎ (kaigi)
職員会議	Faculty Meeting An all-school-staff meeting.	しょくいんかいぎ (shokuin kaigi)
学年分会	Class Year Meeting Teachers meet according to the class year they teach.	がくねんぶんかい (gakunen bunkai)
学年会議	Class Year Meeting Same as above.	がくねんかいぎ (gakunen kaigi)
PTA総会	PTA Observations When the PTA comes and observes classes. This day often occurs on a weekend or holiday, generally during or close to Golden Week!	PTAそうかい (PTA soukai)
生徒指導部会	Guidance Dept. Meeting	せいと　しどう　ぶかい (seito shidou bukai)
進路説明会	Guidance Dept. Assembly	しんろせつめかい (shinro setsumeikai)

Parties (“Enkais”)

忘年会	End of Year Party Usually held in Dec., one of the more important parties.	ぼうねんかい (bounenkai)
退職者祝賀会	Retirement Party Held in honor of all retiring teachers, generally in March (as teachers will depart in April). Retirement is mandatory at 60.	たいしょくしゃ しゅくがかい(taishokusha shukugakai)
新年会	New Year’s Party	しんねんかい (shinnenkai)

Invitations and Business Trips

日時	Date and Time	にちじ (nichiji)
場所	Place Usually just the name of the place.	ばしょ (basho)
住所	Address Usually the street address, may include all or part of the “place.”	じゅうしょ (jyuusho)
料金	Cost Particularly for enkais.	りょうきん (ryoukin)

Schedule Changes

予行	Rehearsal For example, culture festivals, graduation ceremonies, etc.	よこう (yokou)
中止	Cancelled	ちゅうし (chuushi)
開	Start Time	かい (kai)
閉	Finish Time	へい (hei)
掃除	Cleaning Takes about 15 minutes at the end of every school day.	そうじ (souji)
大掃除	Big Cleaning A longer cleaning, up to an hour, usually held before big events or ceremonies. Note that it is the same kanji as “cleaning,” with the kanji for “big” placed before it.	おおそうじ (oosouji)

Annual Events

オリエンテーション	Orientation Held in April for new students.	おりえんてーしょん (Orienteeshon)
ふれあい会宿	Camping Retreat Camping event for JHS 1st years to help new students make friends.	ふれあいかいしゅく (Fureaikaishuku)
克己心育成のための宿泊体験学習	Boot Camp Usually held in April or early May. This is a multi-day field trip where the main activity tends to be climbing a mountain. It is not supposed to be fun and purchasing omiyage is generally not allowed (although students often have fun anyways). You might notice a change in the demeanor of your first years after this trip.	こっきしんいくせい のための しゅくはく たいけん がくしゅう (Kokkishinikusei notameno shukuhaku taiken gakushuu)
体育祭	Sports Day Usually occurs in either May/June or Aug./Sept. Students are divided into teams. Each team has a color. The teams compete in different sporting events. They will practice for weeks leading up to Sports Day. The class schedule will change to accommodate practices as well, typically by alternating half-day schedules for two or more weeks. It’s a big deal!	たいいくさい (taiikusai)
運動会 or 体育大会	Sports Day (same as above)	うんどうかい (undoukai) たいいくたいかい (taiiku taikai)
マラソン大会	Marathon SHS first- and second-years run a marathon. Third-years usually have regular classes on this day. Often held in Dec. or Jan.	まらそんたいかい (marason taikai)
クラスマッチ	Class Match Boys play one sport and girls play another. Each homeroom is a team. Matches are held to determine which homerooms are best at the chosen sports. This event is one or two days only, and while classes will be cancelled on the days, there shouldn’t be any practices or schedule changes before.	くらすまっち (kurasu macchi)
~部 Ex: 英会話部	~ Club Anything ending with this kanji is the name of a club.	~ぶ (~bu)
文化祭	Culture Festival This is a cultural day where clubs make presentations of their efforts. If you have an ESS club, you may be asked (or ask) to participate.	ぶんかさい (bunkasai)
修学旅行	School Trip SHS second-years usually go on a trip in winter (often in winter, and often skiing).	しゅがくりょこう (shugakuryokou)
インターンシップ	Internship It’s common for SHS second-years to do week-long internships, especially if they aren’t college-bound.	いんたーんしっぷ (intaanshippu)
職場体験	Job Experience	しょくばたいけん (shokubataiken)
市郡陸上大会	City/County Track Meet	しぐんりくじょうたいかい (shigun rikujyou taikai)
地区陸上大会	District-wide Track Meet	ちくりくじょうたいかい (chikurikujyoutaikai)
ブロック中体連大会	Block JHS Sports Event	ぶろっく ちゅうたいれん たいかい (burokku chuutairen taikai)
水泳大会	Swim Meet	すいえいたいかい (suieitaikai)
中体連 地区大会	District JHS Sport Event	ちゅうたいれん ちく たいかい (chuutairen chiku taikai)
中体連 県大会	Prefectural JHS Sports Event	ちゅうたいれん けん たいかい (chuutairen ken taikai)
駅伝大会	Marathon Event	えきでん たいかい (ekiden taikai)

Recurring Events

学力分析検査	Academic Evaluations	がくりょくぶんせきけんさ(gakuryokubunsekikensa)
家庭訪問	Home Visits Teachers go to the homes of their homeroom students to speak to their parents. This is a regularly scheduled event but can also occur if there are problems or concerns.	かていほうもん (kateihoumon)
三者面談	Parent Teacher Conferences Parents, teachers and students have meetings to discuss grades and behavior.	さんしゃめんだん (sanshyamendan)
面談週間	One-on-One Meetings A scheduled event where homeroom teachers and students have individual meetings to check in, discuss school life, classes, etc.	めんだんしゅうかん (mendanshukan)
研修	Training Workshops Training for teaching staff. Teaching staff usually attend workshops at the school. Most ALTs do not need to attend.	けんしゅう (kenshuu)