How to say "graduate" in Japanese

• 卒業生そつぎょうせいCommon
  nounA noun for a person who has graduated from a school or university; the direct equivalent of 'graduate' and 'alumnus/alumna'. Use it for the person rather than the act of graduating.
  その大学だいがくは去年きょねん５００名めいの卒業生そつぎょうせいを出だした。↗

  The university graduated 500 students last year.
• 出身者しゅっしんしゃCommon
  nounAlso a noun for a graduate, but it identifies the person by the school or institution they come from — their background — matching 'alumnus' or 'old boy/girl'.
  合格者ごうかくしゃの過半数かはんすうは大学だいがく出身者しゅっしんしゃであった。↗

  The majority of the successful candidates were university graduates.
• 終えるおえるJLPT N3approx.Common
  ichidan verb, transitive verbA verb meaning 'to graduate'. Use it when you want to state the act of graduating rather than refer to a person who has graduated.
• 巣立つすだつCommon
  godan verb, intransitive verbAn idiomatic verb evoking a bird leaving the nest: to go out into the world and become independent. For 'graduate' it suits someone leaving school and becoming a member of society, stressing the new start.

For a graduate as a person choose 卒業生, or 出身者 when you want to stress their school background; for the act choose the verb 「終える」, or the idiom 「巣立つ」 for going out into the world.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

• 卒業生そつぎょうせいgraduate
• 出身者しゅっしんしゃalumnus (alumnae)
• ＯＢオー・ビーold boy
• 卒者そつしゃgraduate
• 卒業者そつぎょうしゃgraduate
• 隈取るくまどるto shade
• オールドボーイold boy
• メートルグラスgraduated glass
• 終えるおえるto graduate
• 巣立つすだつto go out into the world
• 出るでるto graduate
• 盛るもるto mark out (e.g. scale)