授業
Meaning in Englishclass, lesson
Animated kanji stroke order
Related sentences
Word context
What it means
The word 授業 (jugyou) means an organized instructional session led by an instructor where specific learning objectives are taught. It refers to the structured delivery of subject matter—often scheduled on a timetable—covering teacher-led explanations, guided activities, and assessment within schools, universities, or training programs.
Main meanings
- 1. An individual scheduled session counted toward attendance or hours rather than the abstract idea of 'teaching'.
- 2. The overall course or subject unit when discussing curriculum, credits, or class load.
- 3. Different formats of instruction (lecture-style, seminar, lab) depending on institution and context.
- 4. Instructional sessions outside formal education such as corporate training or private tutoring.
- 5. Administrative use to indicate cancellations, make-up sessions, or recorded class hours.
How to use it
Common across schools, universities, cram schools, and workplace training, the word is used in both spoken and written Japanese; it appears on timetables, syllabi, announcements, and everyday conversation about attending or teaching sessions, and is generally neutral/formal compared with casual loanwords for hobby lessons.
Variants and close terms
- 講義 (kougi) — lecture (often university, more formal, large-group)
- レッスン (ressun) — lesson (loanword, used for private or hobby classes)
- 自習 (jishu) — self-study (student-led study without teacher)
- 休講 (kyuukou) — cancelled class (administrative opposite)
Composition
- 授 — to grant, give, or confer; also used in contexts of instructing or bestowing.
- 業 — work, business, task, or vocation; also refers to an activity or trade.
- The compound thus conveys the idea of ‘giving work/teaching work’ or imparting an organized task/subject, producing the meaning of a formal lesson or instructional session.
Origin
The modern usage of the term rose with Japan's modernization of education in the late 19th century (Meiji era) as Western-style schools and standardized timetables were adopted; the concept of formally scheduled teacher-led sessions became central to the schooling system and the term consolidated into contemporary administrative and everyday language.
Word class
noun (名詞); verbal noun / suru-verb when used as 'to give/do a class' (サ変名詞)