Sotsugyou is the Japanese word for ‘graduation’, explained in detail

How to say graduation in Japanese

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

Contents

• Definition and meanings of sotsugyou
• Kanji characters used in sotsugyou
• Verb form meaning ‘to graduate from’ or ‘to outgrow’
• Example #1: how to use sotsugyou to mean ‘graduation’
• Example #2: how to use the verb form to mean ‘to outgrow’
• Summary

Definition and meanings of sotsugyou

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

• sotsugyou – 卒業 (そつぎょう) : a noun meaning ‘graduation’, ‘moving on’ or ‘outgrowing’ in Japanese.

Its definition and meanings are simple and clear. To understand it a bit more, however, let me explain its kanji characters in detail.

Kanji characters used in sotsugyou

Below are the ones.

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

From these two kanji characters, we can understand that the word, “sotsugyou”, literally means completion of study. This concept formed by its kanji seems to be completely in line with its meanings.

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 a better understanding of “sotsugyou” through the kanji check above.

Interestingly, the concept behind the kanji expression of “sotsugyou” is very flexible. I mean that its meanings are not limited to the three mentioned above. In fact, Japanese people quite often stretch the concept to other meanings. They often use it to mean ‘leaving’, ‘quitting’ or even ‘finishing/ending something’ in general.

Verb form meaning ‘to graduate from’ or ‘to outgrow’

Then, let me explain the verb form of “sotsugyou”. Below is it.

• sotsugyou suru – 卒業する (そつぎょうする) : a verb meaning ‘to graduate from’ or ‘to outgrow’ in Japanese.

As you can see here, “suru” is added at the end of “sotsugyou”. In principle, “suru” is a verb to mean ‘to do’ or ‘to perform’ in Japanese. However, when it is put at the end of a noun, it works to make a verb form of the prior noun. Actually, here, it is put after the noun, “sotsugyou”, to make its verb form.

Japanese native speakers use this verb in various situations to mean ‘to outgrow’ or perhaps just ‘to leave’. Of course, it can mean ‘to graduate from’ as well, but the usage of this meaning is quite limited. It’s a bit too specific.

Example #1: how to use sotsugyou to mean ‘graduation’

Below are 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. In the example, it is used like an adverb. Learn more about “ashita”.
• shiki – 式 (しき) : a noun meaning ‘ceremony’ in Japanese. It is often used like an suffix after a noun. In the example, it is put after the noun, “sotsugyou”, to add a meaning of ‘ceremony’ to it. So, the phrase, “sotsugyou shiki”, exactly 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 phrase, “sotsugyou siki”, to indicate the particular place which “watashi” is going to.
• iki – 行き (いき) : one conjugation of the verb, “iku”, meaning ‘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. In the example, it is put after the conjugated verb, “iki”, to make it sound polite.

This example exactly shows how Japanese people use “sotsugyou”. When we want to say “graduation” in Japanese, it would be the best choice.

Example #2: how to use the verb form to mean ‘to outgrow’

Below are new words used in the example sentence.

• kare – 彼 (かれ) : a pronoun meaning ‘he’ in Japanese. Depending on context, it can also be used to mean one’s boyfriend. In the example, it is used as just a pronoun, though.
• manga – 漫画 (まんが) : a noun meaning ‘comic’ or ‘cartoon’ in Japanese. It is a part of Japanese culture, especially, pop culture.
• sotsugyou shi – 卒業し (そつぎょうし) : one conjugation of the verb, “sotsugyou suru”. In the example, it has been conjugated for a better connection with its following word. Basically, its conjugations are subjected to those of “suru”. So, we can focus only on its “suru” part.
• ta – た : an auxiliary verb put after a verb or adjective to make its past tense. In the example, it is put after the conjugated verb to make its past tense.

This is a typical usage of “sotsugyou suru”, it has been conjugated in the example, though.

Again, Japanese people often use it to mean ‘to outgrow’ or just ‘to leave’. This is a kind of metaphor based on the concept behind the kanji expression of “sotsugyou”.

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 from. Let me summarize them as follows.

• sotsugyou – 卒業 (そつぎょう) : a noun meaning ‘graduation’, ‘moving on’ or ‘outgrowing’ in Japanese. These two kanji characters exactly mean completion of study. So, its meanings are completely in line with what its kanji characters express.
• sotsugyou suru – 卒業する (そつぎょうする) : a verb meaning ‘to graduate’ or ‘to outgrow’ in Japanese.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.