学生

• Reading: がくせい
• Romaji: gakusei
• Kanji breakdown: 学 (gaku/manabu) — study, learn; 生 (sei/ikiru) — life, person
• Pronunciation: /ga.kɯ.seː/

Meaning

Student. Refers especially to a university or college student.

While 学生 can refer to students in general, it most commonly refers to university students. For specific school levels, 小学生 (elementary), 中学生 (middle school), and 高校生 (high school) are used. 生徒 (seito) is the general term for primary and secondary students.

Examples

1. 私は大学の学生です。 I am a university student.
2. この図書館は学生が多いです。 This library has a lot of students.
3. 学生の時、毎日日本語を勉強しました。 When I was a student, I studied Japanese every day.

Usage Guide

Context: school, self-introduction, daily life

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

Composed of 学 (gaku, 'study/learning') and 生 (sei, 'person/life'). Together they mean 'person who studies' — one devoted to learning.

Cultural Context

Era: Meiji era

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal