How to use the chart
- Pick a school year. It runs from April to March.
- Read each grade's birth date range and age.
- Enter a child's date of birth to mark their grade.
- Press Print. The chart fits one A4 or Letter page.
▶ Open the Japan school grades chart
This page covers how to use the chart, why the grade cutoff is 2 April, and what Japanese school names mean.
Why the cutoff is 2 April
Children start elementary school at the first school year that begins on or after the day after they turn six (School Education Act, Article 17). The school year runs from 1 April to 31 March.
Japanese law counts a new year of age as reached at the end of the day before the birthday. A child born on 1 April turns six on 31 March and starts school the next day. A child born on 2 April turns six on 1 April, after the year has begun, and waits until the following April.
Japanese school names
Japan uses 6 years of elementary school, 3 of junior high and 3 of high school. The first 9 years are compulsory.
Names and lengths of each school
| In Japanese | In English | Length |
|---|---|---|
| yōchien | Kindergarten (optional), from age 3. The three years are commonly called nenshō, nenchū and nenchō. | Up to 3 years |
| shōgakkō | Elementary school | 6 years |
| chūgakkō | Junior high school | 3 years |
| kōtō gakkō (kōkō) | High school | 3 years full-time; 3 or more part-time or by correspondence |
| kōtō senmon gakkō (kōsen) | College of technology, entered after junior high | 5 years |
| daigaku | University | 4 years; 6 for medicine, dentistry, clinical pharmacy and veterinary studies |
| daigakuin | Graduate school (shūshi master's, hakase doctoral) | Master's 2 years; doctoral 5 years, which may be split 2 + 3 |
Grades restart at 1 in each school: "chūgakkō 2" is the eighth year of school. Universities set their own start and end dates and may admit students mid-year. The chart shows April starts only.
Frequently asked questions
- Which grade is a child born in 2019 in Japan?
- In the 2026–27 school year, children born 2 April 2019 to 1 April 2020 are in elementary grade 1. Those born 1 January to 1 April 2019 are in grade 2.
- Why is a child born on April 1 in the grade above April 2?
- Under Japanese law a person turns a year older at the end of the day before the birthday. A child born on 1 April turns six on 31 March, just before the school year starts.
- What does hayaumare mean?
- Hayaumare ("early born") means born between 1 January and 1 April. These children join the grade of those born from 2 April of the previous year, so they are the youngest in their class.
- When does the school year start and end in Japan?
- Elementary, junior high and high schools run from 1 April to 31 March. Each university sets its own start and end dates.
Sources
Sources: School Education Act, its Regulations for Enforcement, Standards for Establishment of Graduate Schools, Act on Counting Age and Civil Code. Japanese text last checked 2026-09-25; English translations checked 2026-10-01.
Articles and links
- School start at six, 9 compulsory years, kindergarten from 3, school lengths: School Education Act Articles 16, 17, 26, 32, 47, 56, 87, 117 (English translation, official Japanese text)
- School year 1 April to 31 March: Regulations for Enforcement, Article 59; universities set their own dates: Article 163 (English translation, official Japanese text)
- Graduate school lengths: Standards for Establishment of Graduate Schools, Articles 3, 4 and 45 (official Japanese text)
- Age reached the day before the birthday: Act on Counting Age, Civil Code Article 143 (Japanese)
English translations from Japanese Law Translation are for reference; only the Japanese text has legal effect. The chart uses the same calculation and values as the Japanese version of this page.
Notes and your data
- This chart is a guide. Ask the school or your city's board of education about a child's actual grade.
- Graduate rows assume no gap years or repeated years.
- Dates of birth are not stored or sent anywhere.
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