Word
Kana: しんがく Romaji: shingaku Level: N3

進学

Meaning in English

advancing to higher education

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Dictionary

Word context

What it means

進学 means moving on to higher education after finishing a prior level of schooling; it describes the act or process of pursuing further studies at colleges, universities, or other higher-education institutions within Japan.

Main meanings

  • Main meaning: moving on to higher education after finishing secondary school.
  • Nuance: conveys intention or plans to pursue further studies rather than merely enrolling somewhere.
  • Related terms: 進学先 indicates the chosen institution, and 進学率 refers to the rate of progression into higher education.

How to use it

Used in formal education discussions, school counseling, admissions materials, and policy discourse to describe a student's plan or action of pursuing higher education; commonly paired with the verb する, and appears in phrases like 進学先 and 進学率.

Variants and close terms

  • 大学進学 — daigaku shingaku — university progression
  • 専門学校進学 — senmongakkō shingaku — progression to vocational school
  • 進学先 — shingaku-saki — destination for higher education
  • 就職 — shūshoku — antonym, entering the workforce

Composition

  • 進: to advance; forward movement
  • 学: study, learning
  • Together, they form a noun meaning the act of advancing in learning, specifically moving into higher education.

Etymology

on'yomi formation: a Sino-Japanese compound built from 進 (shin) and 学 (gaku); the standard reading is shingaku, reflecting an on'yomi assembly rather than a native reading.

Origin

Meiji-era education expansion and policy development popularized the term as a description of post-secondary pathways; as Japan modernized, guiding students toward higher education became a central part of schooling and career planning.

Word class

noun (名詞)

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