[Gratitude, Encouragement, Memories] Tear-Jerking Graduation Songs You Can’t Listen to Without Crying [2026]

Sakura AleAdachi Kana

Kana Adachi “Sakura Yell”

This is the third single by singer-songwriter Kana Adachi, who made her entertainment debut after winning the Grand Prix at the LINE × SONY MUSIC audition jointly hosted by LINE and Sony Music Entertainment.

Created as a “cheering song to send encouragement to dear friends who are walking a different path,” it also served as the commercial song for the tutoring school Kobetsu Shidō Gakuin Free Step and is known as a graduation song.

The lyrics, filled with memories of youth and messages to friends, feel like they speak the very words you’d want to convey to your close companions on graduation day.

With its lyrical piano and straightforward vocals coloring the moment of departure, it’s a pleasantly uplifting number.

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Hoshino Takashi

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Only the graduation photo knowsHinatazaka46

The Only One Who Knows Is the Graduation Photo by Hinatazaka46

A song by Hinatazaka46 themed around graduation.

It gently sings of the bittersweet feelings of the cherry blossom season and the love that went unspoken.

Memories and regrets sealed in graduation photos resonate deeply, intertwined with clear, transparent vocals.

Set for release on January 29, 2025, the track features Nao Kosaka as center and will be available in five editions: limited first-press versions and a regular edition.

It was premiered at their Tokyo Dome concert on December 26, 2024.

It’s a recommended listen not only for students entering graduation season, but also for anyone who wants to reflect on past loves.

Primal.THE YELLOW MONKEY

THE YELLOW MONKEY – Primal.

This work by THE YELLOW MONKEY is a gem released before the band went on hiatus.

The lyrics, which lay bare raw, primitive emotions, are striking and deftly convey a complex state of mind.

Packed with deep insight—such as the loneliness of a bleak morning and the guilt that lurks behind kindness—it truly resonates.

Released in January 2001, it became their ninth consecutive single to reach the top ten on the Oricon charts.

Written with graduation season in mind, it’s a perfect song for those facing a new beginning with mixed feelings.

It’s goodbye, but it’s not goodbye.yamadakatsutenai Wink

It's goodbye, but it's not goodbye.

It was released in 1991 as a single by Yamada Katsutenai Wink.

It became a major hit as a song used during the TV show “Hō-chan no Yamada Katsutenai TV.” The lyrics were written by Kuniko Yamada, and the music was composed by KAN.

It’s a graduation song filled with warm feelings for a cherished friend.

Thank you, and goodbye.koaramōdo

Koalamode. 'Thank you, and goodbye'

In addition to their live-house performances, the music unit Coalamode.

has been gaining recognition through energetic street performances and video-sharing platforms.

This song, included on their third single “Sakurabocchi,” is a classic graduation song created around the theme of graduation.

The lyrics, which depict the complex emotions and bittersweet scenes leading up to parting with friends, as well as words that can only be conveyed on the day of the ceremony, are sure to resonate with students about to embark on a new path.

It’s a lyrical number that perfectly suits a graduation scene, expressing gratitude, farewell, and a vow to meet again.

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Hoshino Takashi

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FriendKetsumeishi

Ketsumeishi ~Friend(s)~

It’s a song with a message about friends who have each chosen different paths, yet still wanting to stay friends forever.

Ketsumeishi’s distinctive upbeat groove stylishly and realistically conveys the bond of male friendship.

If you listened to it before graduation, it would surely make you cherish the little time you have left together even more.

The ringing beginning of a dreamkyarī pamyu pamyu

Kyary Pamyu Pamyu – Yumeno Hajima Ring Ring (Kyary Pamyu Pamyu – Yume no Hajimarin Rin) Official Music Video

When you think of graduation songs, most are slow and sentimental, but Kyary Pamyu Pamyu’s “Yume no Hajimarinrin” is a cute graduation song that expands the whimsical Kyary world.

Released in 2014 as her eighth single, it’s a charming track with her signature style toned down a bit, expressing a new departure in a sweet, distinctly Kyary way.

It isn’t somber, but it’s a number that truly tugs at the heart.

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utatane

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