Essential Japanese

Daily School Life - 1

Kindergarten
School
Junior High
School
幼稚園 ・ようちえん
youchien 中学校 ・ちゅうがっこう
chuugakkou

Elementary School

学校 ・がっこう
gakkou High
School

小学校 ・ しょうがっこう 高校 ・ こうこう

shougakkou koukou

Rooms in the School

English 漢字 かな Romaji
Teachers’ Room
(Staff Room) 職員室 しょくいんしつ shokuinshitsu
School Office 事務室 じむしつ jimushitsu
Principal’s Room 校長室 こうちょうしつ kouchoushitsu
Classroom 教室 きょうしつ kyoushitsu
Gym 体育館 たいいくかん taiikukan
School Library 図書室 としょしつ toshoshitsu
Hallway 廊下 ろうか rouka
Music Room 音楽室 おんがくしつ ongakushitsu
Lunch Room ランチルーム ranchiruumu
Entryway 玄関 げんかん genkan
 Essential Japanese
Daily School Life - 2

Who you will meet at school:

*教頭先生
校長先生 きょうとうせんせい
こうちょうせんせい kyoutousensei
kouchousensei (Vice-Principal)
(Principal)
*In Tokyo and some parts of
Kanagawa, there is a different
term for the school VP:
先生 副校長先生
せんせい ふくこうちょうせんせい
sensei
(Teacher)
fuku-kocho sensei

*Most staff will be called by

their last names + sensei.

担任の先生
たんにんのせんせい
tannin no sensei 生徒
(Homeroom Teacher) せいと
seito
(Students)

保護者
保健室の先生 ほごしゃ
ほけんしつのせんせい hogosha
hokenshitsu no sensei (Parents/
(School Nurse) Guardians)
栄養士
えいようし
eiyoushi
(Nutritionist)
図書室の先生
としょしつのせんせい
toshoshitsu no sensei
(School Librarian) 公務員
こうむいん
koumuin
(Caretaking Staff)
 Essential Japanese
Daily School Life - 3

Subjects & Studies

English 漢字 かな Romaji
Japanese 国語 こくご kokugo
Science 理科 りか rika
Math (ES) / Math (JHS) 算数・数学 さんすう・すうがく sansuu/suugaku
English (JHS) 英語 えいご eigo
English (ES – 5&6) 外国語 がいこくご gaikokugo
English (ES – 1-4) 外国語活動 がいこくごかつどう gaikokugokatsudou

Social Studies (ES) 社会 しゃかい shakai

History (JHS) 歴史 れきし rekishi
P.E. 体育 たいいく taiiku
Music 音楽 おんがく ongaku
Art 美術 びじゅつ bijutsu
Home Economics 家庭科 かていか kateika
Moral Education 道徳 どうとく doutoku 6. English [ES] (外国語)

Classes will be abbreviated to one kanji character on the weekly and monthly school schedules.
5. Moral Ed. (道徳)
4. Japanese (国語)

Can you guess the subject based on the character used?

(Answers in either English or Japanese are both fine!)

1. What class is this? 4. What class is this?

体 国
3. Social Studies (社会)

2. What class is this? 5.

2. English [JHS] (英語)

What class is this?

英 道
1. P.E. (体育)

3. What class is this? 6. What class is this?

外
Answers:

社
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Daily School Life - 4

Daily Schedule
English 漢字 かな Romaji
(Class) Period ～ 時間目 ～ じかんめ ～ jikanme
School Lunch 給食 きゅうしょく kyuushoku
Lunch Break 昼休み ひるやすみ hiruyasumi
Cleaning 掃除 そうじ souji
*Cleaning 清掃 せいそう seisou
After School 放課後 ほうかご houkago
Club Activities 部活 ぶかつ bukatsu
*You may see cleaning listed by this name
on the printed schedule.

How to say and read class periods?

You will need to know numbers 1-6 and the
Japanese word for class period, and combine them:

1
いち ichi
じかんめ (jikanme) 4 じかんめ (jikanme)
*よ yo
*Yon (4) is said as yo. This is an irregular case.

に
2ni
じかんめ (jikanme) 5
ご go
じかんめ (jikanme)

3
さん san
じかんめ (jikanme) 6 じかんめ (jikanme)
ろく roku

ごじかんめ gojikanme
Quiz: How do you say 5th period in Japanese? Answer:
 Essential Japanese
Daily School Life - 5

Grade Levels and Classes

English 漢字 かな Romaji
1st Graders 一年生 いちねんせい ichinensei
2nd Graders 二年生 にねんせい ninensei
3rd Graders 三年生 さんねんせい sannensei
4th Graders 四年生 よんねんせい yonnensei
5th Graders 五年生 ごねんせい gonensei
6th Graders 六年生 ろくねんせい rokunensei

年 組
ねん nen (year) くみ kumi (class)
ぐみ gumi (class)
Elementary Junior High
*Say “kumi” after numbers *Say “gumi” after letters

1/2/3/4/5 A/B/C/D/E
*Please note that class naming conventions do vary by area/region.

Example:
There are 120 second graders at an elementary school. They will be split into
classes within their grade level. Class names will be their year + a letter or
number.
2-A 2-B 2-C 2-D

にねんBぐみ ninen B-gumi

Quiz: How do you say Class 2-B in Japanese? Answer:
 Essential Japanese
Daily School Life - 6

Daily Greetings
Saying hello in the Saying goodbye
morning: when leaving work:
おはようございます。
ohayou gozaimasu

お先に失礼します。
おさきにしつれいします。
osaki ni shitsurei shimasu

Daily Class Greetings (Etiquette)

In Japan, students are expected to start and end their classes with
polite greetings. The student class leaders for the day will call them out.
You may see the following greetings in your schools:

きをつけ れい よろしくおねがいします ちゃくせき

ki o tsuke rei yoroshiku onegaishimasu chaku seki
(get ready) (bow) (polite expression) (be seated)
 Essential Japanese
Leveling Up! Daily School Life - 7

Asking Permission: Verb Te Form +

～ してもよろしいでしょうか。
Both have the same ～ shite mo yoroshii deshou ka?
meaning and are
polite. But the first
phrase is longer, and
more formal.
～ してもいいですか。
～ shite mo ii desu ka?

Example:
パソコンをつかってもいいですか。
pasukon o tsukatte mo ii desu ka?

May I use the computer?

Useful Phrases for School Life

English 日本語 Romaji
May I use the (item) ? (Item) をつかってもいいですか。 (Item) o tsukatte mo ii desu ka?

May I take a look? みてもいいですか。 mite mo ii desu ka?

May I go to (place) ? (Place) にいってもいいですか。 (Place) ni itte mo ii desu ka?

(Activity) にさんかしてもいい (Activity) ni sankashite mo ii desu

May I join (activity) ? ですか。 ka?

May I ask you a

しつもんをしてもいいですか。 shitsumon o shite mo ii desu ka?
question?

*Note
For using this grammar on your own, verbs need to be conjugated
into their “te-form”. The verbs in the phrases above have already
been adjusted.