How the Japanese school year works
The Japanese school year starts on 1 April and ends on 31 March. Children who were born between 2 April and 1 April of the following year are in the same class year. A child starts elementary school (小学校, shōgakkō) in the first April after their sixth birthday, spends six years there, then three years in junior high school (chūgakkō) and, almost always, three years in high school (kōkō). Elementary and junior high school make up the nine years of compulsory education.
This cut-off is different from most other countries. In the United States the cut-off is usually around September, and in the United Kingdom it is 1 September, so a child moving to Japan can end up one year above or below the class they were in at home. If your family is relocating, check the grade with this calculator first, then ask the local board of education (kyōiku iinkai) at your city office. Public schools generally place foreign children by age, and some boards will consider a lower grade for children who need time to learn Japanese.
What "early-born" (hayaumare) means
Children born from 1 January to 1 April are called 早生まれ (hayaumare, "early-born"). They are in the same class as children born from 2 April to 31 December of the previous calendar year, so they are the youngest in their class. For example, a child born on 15 March 2020 is in the same year as a child born on 15 May 2019, and both start elementary school in April 2026.
The odd one out is 1 April. Under Japan's Act on Counting Age (年齢計算ニ関スル法律), a person becomes a year older at the very end of the day before their birthday. A child born on 1 April therefore turns six at midnight at the end of 31 March, just in time for the school year starting on 1 April, and joins the year above the children born a day later on 2 April.
Three ways of counting age in Japan
- Age in completed years (man-nenrei): the international way, and the one used by Japanese law, forms and resumes. It goes up on the birthday.
- Kazoe-doshi (数え年): the traditional count. A baby is 1 at birth and everyone gets one year older on New Year's Day. It equals the current year minus the birth year plus one. It is still used by some temples and families for shichi-go-san, unlucky years (yakudoshi) and longevity celebrations.
- School year: what matters for school, sports clubs and sometimes for when friends started university or work. Two people born in the same calendar year can be one school year apart if one of them is early-born.
How this calculator works
- The grade shown is the grade during the school year that contains the date you check. Between 1 April and 31 March it does not change.
- Kindergarten classes assume the common three-year kindergarten (nenshō, nenchū, nenchō). Nurseries (hoikuen) use the same class names for those ages.
- Graduation is shown as March of the final year. Repeating or skipping a year, international schools and schools abroad are not taken into account.
- Children born on 29 February are treated as having their birthday on 1 March in common years for the "next birthday" line. Their school year is the one for a February birthday.
- The zodiac animal is based on the calendar year of birth. Some traditions change the animal at risshun (around 4 February), so people born in January or early February may see a different animal elsewhere.
- The calculation runs in your browser. The date of birth you enter is not sent anywhere.
Frequently asked questions
- When does a child born in March 2020 start elementary school in Japan?
- In April 2026. Children born between 2 April 2019 and 1 April 2020 all start in April 2026.
- Why is a child born on 1 April put in the year above?
- Japanese law counts a birthday as reached at the end of the previous day, so a child born on 1 April turns six on 31 March and can start school that April.
- Which age do I write on a Japanese form?
- Your age in completed years (man-nenrei), the same age you would give in most other countries. Kazoe-doshi is only used for some traditional events.
- My child is moving to Japan. Will they be placed by this grade?
- Public schools usually place children by age using this cut-off, but the final decision is made by the local board of education, so confirm it at your city office.
Last updated: 2026-10-28