同級生

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 同級生 is a noun read どうきゅうせい, meaning a classmate or a student in the same grade.
• Basic usage: Use 同級生に会う for meeting a classmate and 同級生と三人で for doing something in a group of three that includes classmates.
  • 駅で小学校時代の同級生に偶然会いました。 describes happening to meet an elementary-school classmate at the station; 同級生と三人で文化祭の看板を作っています。 describes making a cultural-festival sign in a group of three with two classmates.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• 同級生に会う
  • に marks the classmate who is encountered.
• 同級生と
  • と marks the classmates participating in the activity together.
• 三人で
  • The total group has three people including the speaker, so two classmates are participating with the speaker.