School, university and research

What holds these lists together

The Japanese school year starts in April, and its vocabulary follows that calendar: entrance exams come in winter, 入学式(にゅうがくしき) is a spring ceremony, and graduation, 卒業(そつぎょう), falls in March. The bigger difference for an English speaker is the verb. 勉強(べんきょう)する is studying in the sense of working at something, 習(なら)う is learning from a teacher, and 学(まな)ぶ is the broader, more formal word. Many school words are nouns that become verbs with する, so learning the noun gives the verb as well — a pattern that carries much of the vocabulary from N3 upwards. The lists run from the pencil case to the doctoral supervisor.

For example: 勉強(べんきょう) (study), 大学(だいがく) (university), 教育(きょういく) (education), 学術(がくじゅつ) (scholarship; academic (study)), 日直(にっちょく) (pupil on duty for the day)

Spread across the levels

The category runs across the levels — it is an area, not a difficulty. If you practise it, you can also choose a level at the top of the practice page and then get only the part that sits there.