Japanese unique words on education 教育関連の日本語

If you're curious about the Japanese education system, here's the list of unique and relevant words. 教科書には載ってない（かもしれない）教育に関する日本語のリストです。

Bunkei 文系/ Rikei 理系

The study in higher education is roughly divided into two categories in Japan - Bunkei and Rikei. In general, study related to humanities and social science are Bunkei, study related to natural science are Rikei. リケジョ ("Rikejo") is the short form of 理系女子 ("Rikei Joshi") which indicates the female in natural science fields.

Daigaku Zenyu Jidai 大学全入時代

It means the era anyone can get into college/universities. Around 2010, the number of places at the Japanese universities reached parity with the number of high school graduates, universities, and colleges. There are more schools compared to the number of students. Many universities are under-enrolled except popular ones.

"F"-ran Fラン

"F"-ran is an abbreviated word of "F" rank and it means universities that ranking is next to E. Percentage of failures from the candidates in the exam are quite low, so it's difficult for F ran universities to calculate the deviation (Hensachi). Sometimes it is called "border-free".

Gakubatsu 学閥

Academic clique. Form an exclusive group of graduates of the same university within an organization or company.

Gakureki 学歴

Academic / Educational background. Although many people still think that academic background is important, some jobs won't require any higher education background.

Gimu Kyoiku 義務教育

Compulsory education. In Japan, 6 years of elementary school (小学校: Shogakkou) and 3 years of junior school (中学校: Chugakkou) are Gimu Kyoiku.

Hensachi 偏差値

Deviation. It is a score that tells you how far from the statistical mean a typical student on a test. Any school which has an entrance exam has this score. In general, the highly regarded school has a high Hensachi. We call them "進学校" Shingakukou.

Juku 塾 / Yobiko 予備校

Both Juku and Yobiko can be used to describe cram school for the entrance exam. Juku also can be used in a more generic way, for example, "英語塾" Eigo Juku (=English school).

Kikoku Shijo 帰国子女

Returnees children who spent a long time out of Japan with their family. If the children go to foreign schools by themselves, it will be "留学" Ryugaku (study abroad program). If the parents go study abroad with their children, it will be "親子留学" Oyako Ryugaku (parents and child study abroad program).

Kohritsu/Shiritsu 公立／私立

Kohritsu means public (school), Shiritsu means private (school). "国立" Kokuritsu means national, sometimes we call "国公立" Kokkoritsu (national + public). In general, tuition is more expensive in private schools.

Ojuken お受験

"受験" Juken without "お" O means taking an entrance exam. "Ojuken" means children taking exams for a kinder garden, elementary school, or junior high school. Some people use this term to make fun of the parents get involved in the children's education, so be careful. Adding "お" O doesn't mean polite always.

Nyushi 入試

Entrance exam. The short form of "入学試験" Nyigaku Shiken.

Senmon Gakkou 専門学校

Vocational school. It provides education for very specific skills. There are various kinds such a beauty specialist, chef, caregiver, fashion designer, IT engineer, and travel services etc...

Shinsotsu 新卒

New graduates. They look for the job and try to get a job offer ("内定" Naitei). As of today Keidanren ("経団連"), the nation’s top business lobby determines the current practice of focusing graduate hiring in spring. They will let more companies introduce year-round hiring.

Suberi Dome 滑り止め

Originally it means antislip. In Japanese, slip ("すべる") can mean failing the entrance exam. When you take an entrance exam for safety, it will be your Suberi Dome, not the first choice.

Rohnin 浪人

Originally it means masterless samurai. In general, it indicates the student graduated from high school, and s/he is preparing for entrance exams for universities for another year. It can also be used in other situations. "就職浪人" Shusyoku Rohnin is a person who couldn't get a job and is trying to get a job next year. "仮面浪人" Kamen Rohnin ("Kamen" means masked) is a student who is trying to get into their preferred college while already enrolled at another college.