Translation guide
A loan taken out by a student to pay for educational expenses. In Japanese, the most common term is 奨学金 (shougakukin), which literally means 'scholarship' but often refers to a repayable loan. It's important to distinguish between loans and grants, as the same word can cause confusion.
The most common way to refer to a student loan in Japan, typically a loan that must be repaid after graduation.
This is the standard term for a student loan in Japan, though it literally means 'scholarship'. Most Japanese 奨学金 are loans that must be repaid. Use this in most contexts.
I'm covering my university tuition with a student loan.
After graduation, I repay my student loan every month.
A direct loanword from English, used for private student loans or when emphasizing the loan aspect. Less common than 奨学金 but understood.
I plan to use a bank's student loan.
Literally 'education loan', often used for loans taken by parents for their children's education, but can also refer to student loans.
I took out an education loan to send my child to university.
When you want to specify a scholarship that does not need to be repaid, as opposed to a loan.
This explicitly means a 'grant-type scholarship' that does not require repayment. Use this to avoid confusion with repayable loans.
I was awarded a grant-type scholarship.
Can also mean a non-repayable scholarship, but context is needed. If you want to be clear it's a grant, use 給付型奨学金.
Referring to the debt or financial burden from student loans.
In Japan, 奨学金 (shougakukin) most commonly refers to a loan that must be repaid, not a free scholarship. If you want to talk about a grant or scholarship that doesn't need repayment, specify 給付型奨学金 (kyuufugata shougakukin) or clarify that it's 返済不要 (hensai fuyou, 'no repayment required').
学生ローン (gakusei roon) is specifically for students, while 教育ローン (kyouiku roon) is often taken out by parents for their children's education. Both are loans, but the borrower differs.
This scholarship does not need to be repaid.
I have several million yen in student loan debt.