Graduation in Japanese: sotsugyou, explained based on the kanji

How to say “graduation” in Japanese

Japanese people would say “sotsugyou”. It is the Japanese word for ‘graduation’. In this blog post, I will explain this word in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I will explain its verb form which means ‘to graduate’ in Japanese. Let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meanings of “sotsugyou”
• Kanji of “sotsugyou”
• Definition and meanings of “sotsugyou suru”
• Example #1: how to say “graduation” in Japanese
• Example #2: how to say “to graduate” in Japanese
• Summary

Definition and meanings of “sotsugyou”

First of all, let me start with the definition and meanings of “sotsugyou”.

• sotsugyou – 卒業 (そつぎょう) : a noun meaning ‘graduation’ in Japanese. Depending on the situation and context, it can also be used to mean ‘outgrowing’ or ‘moving on’ in Japanese.

Its definition and meanings are simple and clear, I think. To understand this word a bit more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.

Kanji of “sotsugyou”

Below are the kanji characters used in the word, “sotsugyou”.

• 卒 : a kanji character often used in Japanese words related to graduation or completion of things.
• 業 : a kanji character widely used in Japanese words related to business, work, or study.

From these two kanji characters, we can understand that “sotsugyou” literally means competition of study. This concept formed by the kanji seems to be completely in line with the meaning, ‘graduation’.

When we meet new kanji expressions, we should check their kanji characters in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, kanji characters tell us a lot about meanings of words they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “sotsugyou” through the detailed kanji check above.

Next, then, let me explain the verb form of “sotsugyou” as follows.

Definition and meanings of “sotsugyou suru”

Below are the definition and meanings of the verb form.

• sotsugyou suru – 卒業する (そつぎょうする) : a verb meaning ‘to graduate’ in Japanese. Depending on the situation and context, it can also mean ‘to outgrow’ or ‘to move on’.

“Suru” is added at the end of “sotsugyou”. Normally, “suru” is used to mean ‘to do’ in Japanese. However, when it is put after a noun, it can work to make a verb form of its preceding noun. So, in this case, it works to make the verb form of “sotsugyou” which means ‘to graduate’ in Japanese. Other than this, many Japanese nouns can be changed to their verb forms with the help of “suru”. So, it is very helpful when we want to make verbs from nouns. It’s worth knowing, I think.

Then, let me explain how to use “sotsugyou” and its verb form through the example sentences below.

Example #1: how to say “graduation” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case maker or topic maker. In the example, it is put after the pronoun, “watashi”, to make the subject word in the sentence.
• ashita – 明日 (あした) : a noun meaning ‘tomorrow’ in Japanese. Grammatically, it is a noun, but can also be used as an adverb to say “tomorrow” in Japanese. In the example, it is used as an adverb. Learn more about “ashita“.
• shiki – 式 (しき) : a suffix used to add the meaning of ‘ceremony’ or ‘party’ to its preceding words. In the example, it is put after the noun, “sotsugyou”, to form the word, “sotsugyou shiki”, which means ‘graduation ceremony’ in Japanese.
• ni – に : a case particle put after a noun to indicate a particular place to which someone or something goes. In the example, it is put after the noun, “sotsugyou shiki”, to indicate the particular place to which “watashi” will go tomorrow.
• iki – 行き (いき) : one conjugation of the verb, “iku”, which means ‘to go’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for a better connection with its following word.
• masu – ます : an auxiliary verb put after a verb to make it polite. Probably, it is well known for a part of Japanese masu form. In the example, it is put after the conjugated verb, “iki”, to make it sound polite.

This is a typical usage of “sotsugyou”. In this example, it is used as a part of another noun, “sotsugyou shiki”, which means ‘graduation ceremony’ in Japanese. Japanese people often use this noun especially in the spring.

Example #2: how to say “to graduate” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kare – 彼 (かれ) : a pronoun meaning ‘he’ in Japanese.
• wa – は : the same as explained in the last example. In this example, it is put after the pronoun, “kare”, to make the subject word in the sentence.
• kotoshi – 今年 (ことし) : a noun meaning ‘this year’ in Japanese. It is a noun, but can also be used as an adverb to say “this year” in Japanese. In this example, it is used as an adverb. Learn more about “kotoshi“.
• gakkou – 学校 (がっこう) ; a noun meaning ‘school’ in Japanese. Learn more about “gakkou“.
• wo – を : a case particle put after a noun to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, it is put after the noun, “gakkou”, to indicate the place which “kare” will graduate from. It is written as “wo”, but its actual pronunciation is “o”.
• sotsugyou shi – 卒業し (そつぎょうし) : one conjugation of the verb, “sotsugyou suru”. The conjugations of “sotsugyou suru” are basically subjected to those of “suru”. So, we can focus only on its latter part for conjugation.
• masu – ます : the same as explained in the last example. In this example, it is put after the conjugated verb, “sotsugyou shi”, to make it sound polite.

This is a typical usage of the verb, “sotsugyou suru”, it has been conjugated in this example, though. When we want to mean “to graduate” in Japanese, this verb would be the best choice.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the word, “sotsugyou”, in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I’ve explained its verb form. Let me summarize them as follows.

• sotsugyou – 卒業 (そつぎょう) : a noun meaning ‘graduation’ in Japanese. Depending on the situation and context, it can also be used to mean ‘outgrowing’ or ‘moving on’. These two kanji characters literally mean competition of study.
• sotsugyou shiki – 卒業式 (そつぎょうしき) : a noun meaning ‘graduation ceremony’ in Japanese.
• sotsugyou suru – 卒業する (そつぎょうする) : a verb meaning ‘to graduate’ in Japanese. Depending on the situation and context, it can also be used to mean ‘to outgrow’ or ‘to move on’. This is the verb form of the noun, “sotsugyou”. The conjugations are basically subjected to those of “suru”. So, we can focus only on its latter part for conjugation.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.