Back to dictionary
JLPT N114画 · 14 strokesradical 土freq #1297

cram school, private school

On'yomi (音読み)

  • ジュク

Kun'yomi (訓読み)

Mnemonic

In a cram school, teachers dig into the earth, unearthing buried knowledge to help students thrive and grow, symbolizing the solid foundation of learning.

About this kanji

The kanji 「塾」 primarily means "cram school" or "private school" and is often used as a noun. It refers to educational institutions that provide extra tutoring, especially for exam preparation. You might come across compounds like 「塾長」 (じゅくちょう), which means "principal of a private school"; 「私塾」 (しじゅく), referring to a small private school; and 「塾生」 (じゅくせい), which describes a "cram school student." This kanji highlights the importance of supplementary education in Japan. Notably, it usually refers to non-traditional, often after-school learning environments rather than formal educational institutions.

Example sentences

  • 彼は塾に通っている。

    He attends a tutoring school.

Meanings across languages

English
cram school, private school
Tiếng Việt
trường thêm, trường tư
日本語
塾, 私塾
한국어
학원, 사립학교
中文
补习班, 私立学校
id
sekolah tambahan
th
โรงเรียนกวดวิชา
es
escuela privada
fr
école privée
de
Nachhilfeschule
pt
escola particular

Common compounds

  • 塾長じゅくちょうprincipal of a private school
  • 私塾しじゅくsmall private school (esp. for cramming), private school (in the Edo period, orig. run by Confucianists)
  • 塾生じゅくせいcram school student, student of a private-tutoring school
  • 入塾にゅうじゅくenrolling at a cram school
  • 義塾ぎじゅくcharity school, charitable school
  • 家塾かじゅくgovernment-backed school operated by a scholar out of his home
  • 画塾がじゅくprivate painting school
  • 塾弁じゅくべんlunch box brought to cram school, cram school lunch box

Want to actually learn this kanji?

The dictionary is one view. The Kanji 360 app wraps every character with mnemonic images, audio readings, stroke-order animation, story context, and SRS scheduling — free to start on iPhone, iPad, and Android.