How does the Japanese grading scale map to a US GPA?

Most Japanese universities use a 5-tier scale: S/Shu (90-100) = 4.0, A/Yu (80-89) = 3.0, B/Ryo (70-79) = 2.0, C/Ka (60-69) = 1.0, and F/Fuka (below 60) = 0.0. Some newer programs award an extra 4.0 band for S grades, which this tool reflects.

What are Shu, Yu, Ryo, Ka, and Fuka?

These are the traditional Japanese grade names: Shu (excellent), Yu (good), Ryo (average), Ka (pass), and Fuka (fail). Many universities have moved to letter labels S, A, B, C, F that map to the same percentage bands.

Why is my converted GPA lower than I expected?

The Japanese scale is stricter at the top: a B (Ryo) at 70-79% maps to only 2.0 in the US system. Japanese transcripts also rarely use plus or minus modifiers, so there is no easy way to earn a 3.7 or 3.3.

Does the institution type affect the conversion?

Grade inflation varies. National universities tend to grade more strictly than some private institutions, so an identical letter grade can represent different effort. Admissions offices often apply their own adjustment, so treat the converted figure as an estimate.

Is my data uploaded anywhere?

No. All calculations run entirely in your browser and nothing is sent to a server or stored.

Japanese Grade System Converter (A/B/C/D Scale)

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Japanese university grade conversion

Japanese universities report results on a five-tier scale that uses either traditional kanji-derived names (Shu, Yu, Ryo, Ka, Fuka) or modern letter labels (S, A, B, C, F). When you apply to a US graduate program or transfer credits within Europe, you need that scale expressed as a 4.0 GPA or an ECTS letter. This converter performs a credit-weighted conversion so each course counts in proportion to its credits.

How it works

Each grade maps to a US grade point and a percentage band:

S / Shu   90-100%  ->  4.0  (ECTS A)
A / Yu    80-89%   ->  3.0  (ECTS B)
B / Ryo   70-79%   ->  2.0  (ECTS C)
C / Ka    60-69%   ->  1.0  (ECTS D)
F / Fuka  0-59%    ->  0.0  (ECTS F)

The weighted GPA is the sum of each course’s grade point times its credits, divided by the total credits:

GPA = sum(gradePoint_i * credits_i) / sum(credits_i)

Courses with zero or blank credits are ignored. If you leave the grade unset the row is skipped.

Tips and notes

Many Japanese schools use a four-tier scale (A, B, C, F) without an S band. If yours does, simply never select S and the top grade A maps to the 80-89 band as printed on your transcript; check whether your school treats A as 4.0 or 3.0.
Grade inflation differs by institution. National universities typically grade harder than some private universities, so the same letter can reflect different mastery.
Admissions committees frequently apply their own conversion table, so use this figure as a planning estimate, not an official equivalence.