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Kotomora

校

exam, school, printing, proof, correction

JLPTN5StatusJōyō · grade 1FrequencyTop 500Strokes10

Readings

On'yomi

  • コウ
  • キョウ

Kun'yomi

—

Nanori

  • めん

Meaning

校 centers on systematic examination and correction, which naturally extends to the place where such checking happens: a school. The printing and proof senses are specific applications of comparing and correcting.

Most common words using 校

24 of 479
  • 学校がっこう
    N5

    school

  • 高校こうこう
    N5

    senior high school; high school

  • 小学校しょうがっこう
    N5

    primary school; elementary school; grade school

  • 高校生こうこうせい
    N4

    senior high school student

  • 中学校ちゅうがっこう
    N5

    junior high school; middle school; lower secondary school

  • 校長こうちょう
    N4

    principal; head teacher; headmaster; headmistress

  • 登校とうこう
    N1

    attendance (at school); going to school

  • 将校しょうこう

    commissioned officer; military officer

  • 校舎こうしゃ
    N2

    school building; schoolhouse

  • 予備校よびこう
    N1

    preparatory school (for entrance examinations); cram school; cramming school

  • 母校ぼこう
    N1

    alma mater

  • 校内こうない

    within a school

  • 本校ほんこう

    main school; principal school

  • 開校かいこう

    opening a school

  • 校則こうそく
    N1

    school rules; school regulations

  • 休校きゅうこう
    N1

    (temporary) closure of school

  • 校正こうせい

    proofreading

  • 全校ぜんこう

    the whole school

  • 校庭こうてい
    N2

    schoolyard; school playground; school grounds; campus

  • 校歌こうか

    school song; college song; school anthem

  • 同校どうこう

    the same school

  • 校門こうもん

    school gate

  • 校閲こうえつ

    revision; proofreading

  • 分校ぶんこう

    branch school

Explore all words using 校 →

Study

Etymology

校 combines 木 (tree, wood) with 交 (exchange, mix), originally referring to wooden fetters or a framework for comparison. The modern meanings of school and examination developed from the idea of comparing and correcting texts.

Meaning mnemonic

A wooden 木 framework 交 where texts are compared and corrected: that's a school, where exams and proofreading happen.

Reading mnemonic

For コウ, imagine a school corridor where students line up to hand in their corrected exams: corridor -> コウ, and the wooden 木 desks are where they check 交 their work.