1.
third school term; winter term
The last of the three terms in the Japanese school year, running roughly from early January to late March. It is the shortest term and ends with graduation and the close of the school year.
三 (three) + 学期 (school term). Note the sound change: 学期 keeps its reading, but the compound is read さんがっき, not さんがくき.
Common collocations
- 三学期が始まる: the third term begins
- 三学期の終業式: the closing ceremony of the third term
- 三学期制: the three-term system
Cultural note
Most Japanese elementary and junior high schools divide the year into 一学期 (April–July), 二学期 (September–December), and 三学期 (January–March). Some schools have moved to a two-semester 二期制 system, in which case 三学期 does not exist.