登校（とうこう、toukoう）
- going to school

The Japanese word 登校 means "to go to school," "to attend school," or "to be at school." It refers to the act of physically going to the school building, usually in the morning, to begin the school day. This is a crucial daily activity for students of all ages in Japan. 登校 emphasizes the action of traveling to school, rather than just being a student.

⚫︎ 毎朝、子供たちは元気に登校］しています。 Translation: Every morning, the children go to school energetically. ⚫︎ 今日は雨なので、登校する時は傘を忘れずに。 Translation: Since it's raining today, don't forget your umbrella when you go to school. ⚫︎ 学校に登校する前に、宿題を終わらせなければなりません。 Translation: You must finish your homework before going to school.

You use 登校 when you talk about the act of going to school. It can be used in various contexts, from describing a student's daily routine to discussing school events or policies related to school attendance. Common phrases include: 登校時間（"school attendance time"), 登校禁止（"prohibition of school attendance", e.g., due to illness), 登校する（"to go to school"), and 登校しない（"not to go to school"). You can use it when talking about your own school activities or those of others.

登校 is typically written in kanji, which is 登校. The reading is とうこう in hiragana. There are no other common ways to write this word, and the okurigana (送りがな) - the hiragana attached to kanji verbs - doesn't change. The kanji 登 means "to climb" or "to ascend," and 校 means "school."

There aren't direct synonyms that express the exact same meaning, but related phrases include: ⚫︎ 通学（つうがく): "commuting to school" or "going to school." This term is a bit broader and focuses more on the journey itself. ⚫︎ 学校に行く（がっこうにいく): "to go to school." This is a more general way to say "to go to school".

⚫︎ 欠席（けっせき): "absence." This is the opposite of 登校 as it implies not being present at school. ⚫︎ 不登校（ふとうこう): "non-attendance at school" (truancy). This is a state where a student does not go to school.

彼はいつも時間に正確で、毎朝きちんと登校します。 ・Translation: He is always punctual and attends school properly every morning. ・Explanation: This sentence describes a student's consistent habit of going to school on time.

熱があるので、今日は登校を見合わせることにしました。 ・Translation: Because I have a fever, I have decided to refrain from going to school today. ・Explanation: This sentence describes the decision not to attend school due to illness.

The word 登校 is a compound word. 登 (tou) means "to climb" or "to ascend," referring here to the act of going or entering. 校 (kou) means "school." Therefore, the combination of these two kanji 登校 directly translates to "to enter/ascend the school," implying the action of attending school.