Japanese word

大学

Pronunciation

Romajidaigaku

Meaning

  • noununiversity

Example

私は大学に行きます。watashi wa dai gaku ni i ki ma su

I go to university.

Illustration for 大学 (university)

More examples

姉は来年、大学を卒業します。ane wa rai nen dai gaku o sotsu gyō shi ma su

My older sister will graduate from university next year.

Core concept

Refers to a place that provides organized higher education beyond secondary school.

Common phrases

  • 大学に通うdai gaku ni kayo u

    attend university

  • 大学に入るdai gaku ni hai ru

    enter university

  • 大学を卒業するdai gaku o sotsu gyō su ru

    graduate from university

Definition in Japanese

高等学校卒業後などに、専門的な学問を学び研究するための教育機関。kō tō gak kō sotsu gyō go na do ni sen mon teki na gaku mon o mana bi ken kyū su ru ta me no kyō iku ki kan

Word origin

大学 (daigaku, "university") comes from the classical term 大学, combining 大 (dai, "large") with 学 (gaku, "learning").

Usage tips

  • In Japanese, 大学に行く (daigaku ni iku) commonly means attending university, not merely traveling to its campus.

Other meanings

  • collegenoun

Related words

Word lists with this word