School absence call — day off: Reporting a Planned Absence
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Key Phrases
もしもし。
moshimoshi
Hello (on the phone).
理由を教えてください。
riyuu o oshie te kudasai
Please tell me the reason.
では、欠席で受け付けます。
de wa kesseki de uketsuke masu
We’ll process it as an absence.
Skills You'll Learn
Make a polite phone call to a school and confirm who you’re speaking to.
学校に丁寧に電話して、相手（学校）を確認できる。
gakkou ni teinei ni denwa shi te aite o kakunin dekiru
Report a child’s absence and give a reason in polite Japanese.
欠席の連絡をして、理由を丁寧に説明できる。
kesseki no renraku o shi te riyuu o teinei ni setsumei dekiru
Respond to follow-up questions about health/condition and confirm attendance for tomorrow.
体調について答えて、明日の登校予定を伝えられる。
taichou ni tsui te kotae te ashita no toukou yotei o tsutae rareru
Lesson Roleplay
Imagine you are a parent calling an elementary school office to report that your first-grade child will be absent today, explaining the reason and confirming they are feeling fine and will return tomorrow.
もしもし、学校ですか。
moshimoshi gakkou desu ka
Hello, is this the school?
はい、〇〇小学校です。
hai shou gakkou desu
Yes, this is XX Elementary School.
1年のさくらの父です。今日、休ませたいです。
1 nen no sakura no chichi desu kyou yasuma se tai desu
I’m Sakura’s father. She’s in first grade. I’d like her to be absent today.
わかりました。理由を教えてください。
wakari mashi ta riyuu o oshie te kudasai
Understood. Could you tell me the reason?
今日は仕事が休みで、家族で一日過ごします。
kyou wa shigoto ga yasumi de kazoku de itsu nchi sugoshi masu
I have the day off work today, and we’ll be spending the day together as a family.
Lesson Vocabulary & Phrases
もしもし。
moshimoshi
Hello (on the phone).
🇯🇵 Use [もしもし] only on the phone, usually right at the start to check the line or get attention. You would not use it for an in-person greeting.
See breakdown →学校
gakkou
School
ですか。
desu ka
Is it? (polite question ending)
💬 [ですか] turns a statement into a polite question: [学校です。] → [学校ですか。] You can reuse it with many nouns, like [休みですか。]
See breakdown →学校ですか。
gakkou desu ka
Is this the school?
はい。
hai
Yes.
〇〇小学校
shou gakkou
○○ Elementary School
です。
desu
(it) is (polite)
〇〇小学校です。
shou gakkou desu
This is XX Elementary School.
小
shou
Small (prefix; e.g., elementary school)
💬 In [小学校], [小] means "elementary," not just "small." You'll see the same kind of shortened label in school words like [中学校] and [高校].
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