二学期(にがっき)

Compound of 二(に) ('two') and 学期(がっき) ('school term, semester'). Note the sound change: 学期(がっき) → 二学期(にがっき), not にがくき.

Usage

• Refers to the second school term in the Japanese academic calendar.
• In a three-term system (三(さん)学期(がっき)制(せい)) — the standard for elementary, junior high, and most high schools — the second term runs roughly from September to December.
• In a two-term system (二(に)学期(がっき)制(せい)), used by many universities and some schools, the second term is the fall/autumn semester, running from about October to February.
• Common context: school events like 運動会(うんどうかい) (sports day) and 文化祭(ぶんかさい) (culture festival) often fall in the second term.

Common collocations

• 二学期(にがっき)が始(はじ)まる: the second term starts
• 二学期(にがっき)が終(お)わる: the second term ends
• 二学期(にがっき)の成績(せいせき): second-term grades
• 二学期(にがっき)制(せい): the two-term system

Similar words

• 一学期(いちがっき): first term — April to July in the three-term system.
• 三学期(さんがっき): third term — January to March in the three-term system.
• 学期(がっき): school term, semester — the generic term for any one term.
• 後期(こうき): latter term/semester — often used in two-term university systems; overlaps with 二学期(にがっき) in that context.