中学校

Pattern visualization

Examples

1. 中学校で英語を習いました。▶ —
   I learned English in middle school.
2. 弟は中学校二年生です。▶ —
   My younger brother is in second-year middle school.

Collocations

Mnemonic

中学校 chuugakkou — middle school, ages 12-15 (after 6 years of elementary, runs for 3 years). The final stage of compulsory education. Club activity (部活, bukatsu) — baseball, soccer, brass band, culture clubs — kicks into full swing here. Uniforms (制服) are required in most schools. The middle-school years compress Japanese teen culture: 部活, テスト (tests), 先輩後輩 (senior/junior dynamic), 制服. Same 6+3+3+4 structure as Korea makes the vocabulary fast to internalize. The short form 中学 also works.

Quick check

1. How important is 部活 in Japanese middle school life?

   • Daily 2-3 hour after-school activity, central to identity and friendship
   • Optional weekends only
   • Once-a-term event
   • Does not exist