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Whenever I see Japanese school years translated to English, either in vocab
lists or in manga/anime translations, it's always with reference to the US
school system (i.e. n'th grade). As I'm not American, that makes no more sense
to me than the original Japanese. How old are the children in a 小学校, a 中学校, a
高校 (and any other kinds of school I've missed), and how are the years
named/numbered in each?

In short, if a schoolchild tells me they're in such-and-such a year of such-
and-such school, what does that mean? (Or conversely, if I want to describe my
school year in Japanese, which type of school do I say?)

Any other information that would help to describe the differences, such as
which years have big exams, would be a useful part of the answer.
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2014-05-02T10:56:47.630
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2014-05-02T15:39:15.610
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words culture
How do I translate the names of types of school, without reference to the US school system?
小学校{しょうがっこう} is from about ages 6-12, 中学校{ちゅうがっこう} 13-15, and 高校{こうこう} is
about 16-18 years of age. As far as examinations the important ones are
usually in the last years of their respective schools for entry into a school
of their choosing (受験{じゅけん}). The school year is usually trimestered with
examinations at the end of each (期末試験{きまつしけん}).

Edit: Additionally, the school year begins in the spring, not the fall like a
lot of western countries.
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2014-05-02T13:52:44.653
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answer