新卒

• Reading: しんそつ
• Romaji: shinsotsu
• Kanji breakdown: 新 (shin) — new; 卒 (sotsu) — graduate, finish
• Pronunciation: /ɕiɴ.so.tsɯ/

Meaning

New graduate; recent graduate. A person who has just graduated or is about to graduate from school.

A noun and no-adjective referring to fresh graduates entering the job market. Central to Japanese employment culture, where companies recruit en masse from universities each spring (新卒一括採用). Common compounds: 新卒採用 (new graduate recruitment), 新卒者 (new graduate). The antonym is 既卒 (kisotsu, already graduated).

Examples

1. 来年の新卒採用は百名を予定している。 We plan to hire one hundred new graduates next year.
2. 新卒で大企業に入るのは競争が激しい。 Getting into a large company straight out of school is highly competitive.
3. 新卒のときに就職活動で苦労した。 I had a tough time job hunting as a new graduate.

Usage Guide

Context: employment, university, career

Tone: informative

Origin & History

From 新 (new) and 卒 (graduate, shortened from 卒業). The term is deeply embedded in Japan's unique shūkatsu (job hunting) system, where university students seek employment collectively in their final year.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: Young adults

Social background: Universal