How do you say "semester" in Japanese?

学期

gakki

Noun Kanji

In Japanese, "semester" is 学期 (gakki).

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Pronunciation

Gakki is short and punchy, with a firm double-k that clips the word in half: gak, then ki, no drawn-out vowels at all.

Writing and usage

学期 is written using kanji. It's a noun, and this word is also taught inside the Noun Town language learning game, where it appears in interactive lessons alongside hundreds of other everyday words.

Example sentence

新学期は9月に始まります。

shingakki ha 9 gatsu ni hajimari masu.

The new semester begins in September.

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How to remember 学期

Gakki sounds like 'gawky' without the w — think of the gawky, awkward first week of a new semester.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

Questions about 学期

How do you pronounce 学期?

Gakki is short and punchy, with a firm double-k that clips the word in half: gak, then ki, no drawn-out vowels at all.

Is 学期 formal or casual?

学期 is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech. The level of formality comes from the sentence structure around it, not from the word itself.

How is 学期 written in Japanese?

学期 is written using kanji. Romanised, it reads as gakki.

Where can I practice Japanese words for free?

You can play free Japanese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, with no sign-up needed. Every word in the Japanese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.

"Semester" in other languages

Curated by Jack Ratcliffe

This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the Japanese language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation. Want to play the full game? Get Noun Town on Steam.

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