学生

Pattern visualization

Examples

1. 私は大学生です。▶ —
   I am a university student.
2. 学生証を見せてください。▶ —
   Please show your student ID.

Collocations

Mnemonic

Gakusei (学生) is "student" — in everyday Japanese it usually means daigakusei "university student" specifically, while koukousei (high school), chuugakusei (middle school), and shougakusei (elementary) stand as separate words. Simple cluster (B + no-cluster): (1) gakusei-shou (student ID — both identification and access to discounts); (2) gakusei waribiki or gaku-wari (student discount — across JR rail, movies, museums, restaurants); (3) gakusei jidai (student days — a nostalgic phrase, "gakusei jidai no tomodachi" = student-era friends); (4) gakusei-fuku (school uniform). Translation trap: Japanese gakusei in casual conversation maps only to "university student," not the general English "student," unlike Korean haksaeng = general. Kanji "gaku (learning) + sei (student / live person)" = a learner. Business polish: gakusei-san is the polite address form. JLPT N5 plus Japans student-category baseline.

Quick check

1. Casual-Japanese trap of gakusei?

   • In casual speech it means daigakusei (university student) specifically — koukousei, chuugakusei, shougakusei are separate words, no one-to-one map with Korean haksaeng
   • All students
   • Teacher
   • Graduate