Disclosed is a multi-stage transmission in which friction loss is reduced, which is simple in structure and which realizes an easy mounting or assembling work and a reduced work time. The multi-stage transmission has a drive gear shaft 11 and a driven gear shaft 12, and a plurality of driven gears n are mounted on the driven gear shaft 12 to be engageable with and disengageable from the driven gear shaft 12 individually by means of an engaging means 20 which is changed over to make gear shift. The engaging means 20 includes swing pawl member 24, 25 swingably supported by pivot pins 12 on the driven shaft 26. One end parts of the swing pawl members 24, 25, extending from the pivot pins 12 are engaging claw parts 24p, 25p engageable with engaging surfaces of engaging projections 31 formed on the inner circumferential surfaces of the driven gears n. The other end parts of the swing pawl members 24, 25 are acted upon to be pushed up by pin members 23, which are operated to advance and retract by gear shifting operation. The pin members 23 operate to release engagement of the engaging claw parts 24p, 25p with the engaging projections 31 of the driven gears n.