転校 vs. 転入: School Transfer Vocabulary Explained for Japanese Learners

Yuka

If a student moves to a new school, do you say 転校 or 転入? Both involve changing schools — but they describe different aspects of the same event!

Rei

転校 (tenkou) means transferring schools — the act of leaving one school to go to another. 転入 (tennyuu) means newly entering or being enrolled — the administrative side of arrival.

転校 — Changing Schools

転校 (tenkou) is the common, everyday word for a student changing schools. It describes the whole event of leaving one school and enrolling in another.

• 来月、転校することになりました。— I will be changing schools next month.
• 転校生が来た！— A new transfer student came!
• 転校は寂しいものだ。— Changing schools can be lonely.

転入 — Enrolling as a New Transfer

転入 (tennyuu) is more administrative — it refers to the formal process of being newly registered or enrolled, typically used for school paperwork, residency registration, and official documents.

• 転入届を出してください。— Please submit your transfer enrollment form.
• 転入生として紹介されました。— I was introduced as a new transfer student.
• 転入手続きが完了しました。— Transfer enrollment procedures are complete.

Related Vocabulary

Common Mistakes for English Speakers

English just says “transfer student” for both. In Japanese, use 転校 naturally in conversation (“I’m transferring schools”), and expect to see 転入 on official forms and procedures. Both words may appear together when describing the same situation from different angles.

Quick Quiz

Which word would you use when filling out official school paperwork upon arriving at a new school?

Answer: 転入 — 転入届を出してください。

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