1.
alumnus; fellow graduate; schoolmate; classmate (from the same school)
A person who attended the same school or educational institution, regardless of whether they were there at the same time. The emphasis is on shared institutional connection rather than being in the same class year.
彼は高校の同窓生だ。
He is a fellow graduate from my high school.
同窓生と久しぶりに再会した。
I reunited with a fellow alumnus after a long time.
同窓生のネットワークを通じて仕事の紹介を受けた。
I received a job referral through my alumni network.
Composed of 同窓 (same school) + 生 (student, person). 窓 literally means "window" but here metaphorically refers to the classroom or school. Alumni connections (同窓のつながり) are important in Japanese society, especially for career networking.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 同窓会: alumni reunion, class reunion
- 同窓生のつながり: alumni connections
- 同窓生ネットワーク: alumni network
- 大学の同窓生: university alumni
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 同級生: classmate — specifically someone in the same year/grade
- 同期: same cohort — people who entered the same company or school at the same time
- 学友: school friend — emphasizes the friendship aspect
- 卒業生: graduate — focuses on having completed a program