卒業

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 卒業(そつぎょう) means graduation, completing a school's prescribed course of study.
• Basic usage: It describes when someone expects to graduate or events after a graduation ceremony.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Two ways of leaving school
  • 卒業 means completing the course, while 退学 means withdrawing or leaving school before graduating.
• Graduation and its ceremony
  • 卒業式 is the ceremony marking graduation. In 高校を卒業する, を links the school whose course is completed.