Questions About Japanese Junior High

I'm making a manga that I'm currently studying Japanese culture for. It's a manga just for drawing practice and fun; I don't plan on using it for anything commercial, just something to do in my spare time. You could call it a hobby or a project.

However, I'm having trouble finding any information on middle school (junior high) life for Japanese students. The majority of my characters attend juinior high but most information I've found on the subject of education revolves around high school.

My main questions:

- I know that once a person enters junior high, the grade numbering starts over as 1-3 and a student's age can range from 12-15. Would a 14 year-old student usually be in Grade 2 in junior high?

- Do foreigners come last in roll call? Also, how would you write a Chinese foreigner's name? I know kanji and kana originates from Chinese script so I'm confused a bit.

- What are the subjects a person studies when in the grade my characters are in? (Again, age 14 is usually Grade 2, right?)

- I need general information on P.E. classes, as I've found only a bit of that.

(This one might be deviating from the subject a bit)
- Any tips on kanji and kana writing would be most appreciated, as I don't plan on using English whenever I'm doing writing on boards or signs. Examples of problem areas in learning some basic kanji writing include when it's appropriate to write a person's name in hiragana instead of complete kanji. Also, when a person's name is written, does every syllable have to have a meaning in kanji or can I combine kana and kanji for a name, so maybe only one syllable has a meaning? I've tried looking up some names from a lot of manga I've read, but it's confusing!! Some artists choose to write their character's names in all kanji and others write their names in katakana, even when their names are native Japanese.

- Events held during school, such as the infamous Sports Festival and Culture Festival. Common things done during these events is needed.

- I plan on focusing on more than just the students. I'd like to know more about teachers' roles in school.

- Also, in what months does school start and end? (Like in America, school typically begins in August or September and ends in May or June)

I know this is a long post and if you can answer any part of it or give me links to other resources that can explain some things, I'd be very grateful!!!

Junior high school grades are usually called Year 1, Year 2 and Year 3.

A 14-year old could be in Year 2 or Year 3. A young friend of mine is 13 now and will be starting Year 2 in April 2009- she doesn't turn 14 until October 2009 though. It depends on which month the person's birthday falls in.

No, foreigners wouldn't come last in the roll call, as names would be listed in kana order, so someone with the surname Smith (Sumisu) will come after Suzuki and before Sumida.

Some Chinese people use the phonetic version of their names, written in katakana, others use the Japanese pronunciation of their kanji- depends on the person.

The school year begins in April in Japan- cherry blossoms are a common theme of entrance ceremonies. There is no long break between the end of the school year and the beginning of the next here- the long holiday is in summer, partway through the school year.

I have to wonder why you are trying to create a manga about a topic you know very little about? No offense, but it is likely to be full of inaccuracies.

Most mangaka in Japan work with subjects that they know well (baseball, the life of an office worker etc), so why not do the same and work with subjects that you yourself know well?

- What are the subjects a person studies when in the grade my characters are in?

Japanese, Mathematics and English are the 3 major subjects. Science and Social Science comes next. Then there's Music, Art, Physical Education, Technical Skills and Home Economics, Health etc.

If you attend an ordinary public school in the neighborhood, at 14, you'd start worrying about senior high school entrance exams.

- I need general information on P.E. classes, as I've found only a bit of that.

Students wear gym uniforms and do sports.

- Any tips on kanji and kana...

Letters are a long story. Search an on-line language learning site and see how much you can learn. A mailing list might be ideal.

- Events held during school, such as the infamous Sports Festival and Culture Festival.

Sports Festival and Culture Festival aren't "infamous." For the majority of students, these are about the only things they look forward to.

- I plan on focusing on more than just the students. I'd like to know more about teachers' roles in school.

At school, they teach.

I think it's natural for a fiction writer to want to write about something (s)he barely knows. That's the fun about writing fiction, and a lot of popular professional manga writers in Japan do that, too.

But usually, the procedure would go the other way around. For example, rather than to ask the A to Z about a theme, you first build a vague idea about the theme by doing research by yourself.

And using that vague idea you have, you make up a story. THEN you use forums like these to ask, for example, "Is it natural for my character to be doing this and that while attending this and that class?" or "Is it natural for a teacher to say this and that to a student?"

Good luck and have fun!

Very interesting.
I want to read you manga when it gets to some shape.
Good Luck!
and let me try to explain about names.

As for the way to write names, it is a confusing but very interesting point.
To begin with, while most names have Kanji for it, some names doesn't have designated Kanji for it.
For example, there are a chance that someone's name is ‚È‚È‚©, all in Hiragana, and has no Kanji for it.
Not designating a Kanji for someone's name and make Hiragana the formal spellings is a way to look the name "soft", and this way of naming is to be seen mainly for girls.

Another interesting cases are that, (1) names with same Kanji have chance to be read different, (2) names with different Kanji have chance to be read samely.
As an example for 1) the name with same Kanji —TŽq can be read both ways "Yuko" or "Hiroko" and one cannot tell which is the proper reading from its Kanji.
As an example for 2) both two names —DŽq and —EŽq can be read "Yuko", while they have different nuance implied in its Kanji spellings.
To give two characters names of same Kanji (1 above) or same reading (2 above) is a technique often used in stories or manga.

Whether to write a name in its formal Kanji form or its Hiragana reading form is up to the writer's choice and there are no strict rules, but usually writing in Hiragana or Katakana makes it look softer.

My family will be moving to Japan in Oct. I am nervous about changing schools, especially that it will be in another country.

I'm 14, going 15 in Oct, currently enrolled in grade 10. Is it hard to get accepted as a newcomer in the middle of Sr High 1? Do the kids hang out in cliques? Also if a teacher notices that my eyes are not where they are supposed to be on a test, will she pretend not to notice or will she punish me?

Teenboy,

If you are 14, going 15 in Oct, you will be in the 3rd grade of junior high in a Japanese public school until next the end of March.

But firstly, are you sure you're going to be enrolled in an ordinary Japanese public school? Perhaps your parents are thinking about sending you to an international school or a private Japanese school.

Either way, being hard or not to get accepted as a newcomer in the middle of a term depends on the indivisual or class. Generally speaking, in October, public school 3rd graders will be very busy thinking about senior high school entrance exams or school events usually held in autumn, and I'm sure you will be busy participating in all of that, too, if you enrol to one of these schools.

Some kids hang out in cliques, some don't. If a teacher notices that you are cheating during a test, (s)he has the duty to punish you. Punishing doesn't mean anything like whipping your or slapping you (these things are strictly against the law), but the teacher will call your parents and discuss what they should do about you and your grades. If you are simply looking out the window or something, that doesn't necessarily mean you're doing something wrong, so the teacher might just give you a simple warning to be focused on the test or tell you to turn the answer sheet over if you're done.

Will they still put me in jr high even if I have already have completed it?
I just started sr high 1 (grade 10) and I will go crazy if they make me repeat for no reason. Worst comes to worst, if I have no other choice but enroll in jr high 3, then I am better of not enrolling at all. During the sitting out period, it's best for me to take intensive japanese lang.

My Japanese literacy (reading, writing) is maybe primary 3 lvl. I owe it to my deceased Japanese mother. Being half Japanese, my no.1 wish is to become fluent in japanese. Attending a public school is the best way to achieve my goal, but I am afraid the books will be too hard to read.

If I spend 6 months in intensive Japanese (oct 2009-mar 2010), then start sr high 1, do you think I will be able to handle the reading material?

I hope my teachers in Japan are not that mean. I have always felt that sharing answers with seatmates shows sharing is caring.

Thank you again.

Teenboy,

You haven't really "completed" junior high in the Japanese sense. Plus, you say so yourself. You may not be able to keep up with others if you suddenly enroll to senior high school here. And since skipping grades is not basically allowed in Japanese public schools, you will be the only little kid if you go to ordinary senior high now.

Also, I'm not sure if "attending a public school is the best way to achieve your goal". If your father can afford it, you can go to an international school and learn Japanese there at the same time. A lot of international schools educate their students to be bilingual. I assume they accept students who have skipped grades.

If I spend 6 months in intensive Japanese (oct 2009-mar 2010), then start sr high 1, do you think I will be able to handle the reading material?

That really depends on the person and the senior high you will be entering, but I don't think it's impossible at all.

In any case, everyone gets scared when they're starting something new. Try to look at the bright sides of life. If you are to go to junior high, you will be out of there in 6 months anyway whether you fit in or not.

Hi Uco,

I am not that smart.. have never skipped grades. The cut-off age for starting grade 1 (which we call year 1 here in Perth, Australia) was 5 yrs old and 1 month. I was 5 yrs old and 3 months when I started year 1. I just started my 2nd semester of year 10. Therefore, I cannot imagine going back to jr high! I wouldn't want to be taking exams either. Maybe the cut-off age in Japan is older because the schoolwork is more challenging?

I am not worried about being the youngest in class :). I look older than my age. I prefer dating slightly older girls (16-17) so there will be more opportunities if I enter Sr high.

International School: My father's company is giving him the money to send me to Intl School, but if we opt out, we get to keep the difference. That's another reason why I have strongly considered attending a local school. As jr high is out of my list, maybe it's best to use the international school fees for intensive Japanese courses and pocket the rest?

You might actually find that the Japanese students in JHS year 3 here are learning things that are far beyond what you were learning last year at junior high school, particularly in subjects like maths and science. I don't think it's unreasonable to drop back a year if you are attending school in a foreign country with a language that you can't read well.

With 6 months of intensive language study, I still think that pretty much everything in the senior high school year 1 classes will be well beyond you- that's not enough time to absorb the well over 1000 kanji you will need to be able to read and write, much less develop the listening skills.

When you move to another country a lot of things won't necessarily go how you want them to, and in many situations you have to swallow your pride- it's all part of the experience. Try to keep an open mind.

Sira's right. 6 month's of intensive language study isn't going to bring you up to even a comfortable level to help you get through a local school, not even close I think.
While your school may have an hour each week or more for English lesson, outside this there won't be any English at all. Absolutely nothing to fall back on on and no doubt you will often get stuck. It would be more frustrating to you if you don't swallow your pride.


I prefer dating slightly older girls (16-17) so there will be more opportunities if I enter Sr high.

That's just silly. Where are your priorities?

teenboy,

Is there any reason (other than the money, which to me sounds like a silly reason) you should avoid international schools? What does your father say?

Maybe you're just going through a healthy adolescence period where you want to say no to everything forced to you. But you can still compromise with the enforcements and make your own decisions at the same time. I've been through that.

Maybe the cut-off age in Japan is older because the schoolwork is more challenging?

The age cutoff is not older, just shifted to a point in the year. As mentioned, school starts April 1st, which is also the age cutoff. Since you were not 15 by April 1, 2009 you are not old enough to enter public high school.

As jr high is out of my list, maybe it's best to use the international school fees for intensive Japanese courses and pocket the rest?

If you come in October you would only be in Junior high school for about 6 months. There's probably no better way to get used to the Japanese school system. Think of it as social preparation for high school.

Personally I think an international school would provide you with the best education. You should be discussing this stuff with your parents, and I think they'd be of the opinion that the advantage of a good education will far outweigh whatever few thousand dollars you may gain.