School vocabulary in Chinese
A practical list of common Chinese school terms—rooms (教室, 图书馆), people (老师, 学生), activities (上课, 做作业) and subjects (数学, 英语). Suitable for beginner to intermediate learners preparing to study, attend classes, or navigate campus life.
- 学校 xuéxiào — school; educational institution or its buildings
- 教室 jiàoshì — classroom
- 老师 lǎoshī — teacher
- 学生 xuésheng — student; schoolchild
- 课 kè — subject; (course of) study
- 课程 kèchéng — course; academic program
- 上课 shàngkè — to go to class; to attend class (as a student)
- 下课 xiàkè — to finish class; to get out of class
- 作业 zuòyè — school assignment; homework
- 考试 kǎoshì — exam; test
- 练习 liànxí — to practice; to do exercises or drills to improve a skill
- 复习 fùxí — to review (study again)
- 预习 yùxí — to prepare/preview a lesson (study material) before class
- 笔 bǐ — writing brush; writing implement (pen, pencil, etc.)
- 铅笔 qiānbǐ — (lead) pencil
- 钢笔 gāngbǐ — fountain pen
- 橡皮 xiàngpí — rubber; an eraser
- 课本 kèběn — textbook
- 书 shū — book; letter; document
- 题目 tímù — subject; title; topic
- 成绩 chéngjì — achievement; performance; (school) grades; results
- 分数 fēnshù — (exam) grade; mark; score; fraction
- 课表 kèbiǎo — school timetable
- 学期 xuéqī — term; semester
- 学年 xuénián — academic year; school year
- 假期 jiàqī — vacation; holiday (period of time off from work or school)
- 午休 wǔxiū — noon break; lunch break; lunchtime nap
- 体育 tǐyù — sports; athletics
- 体育馆 tǐyùguǎn — gym; gymnasium; stadium
- 音乐 yīnyuè — music
- 美术 měishù — art; fine arts; painting
- 科学 kēxué — science; scientific knowledge
- 数学 shùxué — mathematics; the discipline of math
- 汉语 hànyǔ — the Chinese language (Mandarin/standard or Chinese languages in general)
- 英语 yīngyǔ — English (the language)
- 自习 zìxí — to study outside of class time; to study in one's free time; self-study
- 小组 xiǎozǔ — a small group; subgroup (of people working together)
- 办公室 bàngōngshì — office; business premises
- 校长 xiàozhǎng — (college, university) president; headmaster; principal
- 班级 bānjí — class (group of students); grade (in school)
- 班长 bānzhǎng — class monitor; squad leader; team leader
- 同学 tóngxué — fellow student; classmate
- 同桌 tóngzhuō — desk-mate; seat-mate (person who shares the same desk or seat, esp. at school)
- 铃声 língshēng — ring; ringtone; the sound made by a bell or a phone
- 黑板 hēibǎn — blackboard; chalkboard
- 白板 báibǎn — whiteboard (dry-erase board)
- 投影 tóuyǐng — to project (e.g. light or an image); to cast
- 课间 kèjiān — interval between lessons; recess between classes
- 校园 xiàoyuán — campus; the grounds and buildings of a school or university
- 图书馆 túshūguǎn — library
- 食堂 shítáng — dining hall; cafeteria
- 报告 bàogào — to inform; to report; to make known
- 讲座 jiǎngzuò — course of lectures; lecture series
- 实验室 shíyànshì — laboratory
- 作坊 zuōfang — workshop (of an artisan)