School Vocabulary in Traditional Chinese

Real-life classroom words, pinyin, and examples you can actually use 學校詞彙

Want to understand what’s happening at school (and not just smile politely)? This list gives you Traditional Chinese characters, pinyin with tones, clear meanings, and example sentences for every word.

Tap the speaker buttons to hear the Mandarin pronunciation (Taiwan voice). Your future self—sitting in class—will thank you.

Yak Snark

If you only memorize one thing, make it 作業. Teachers love that word more than you love free time.

Must-know school words (the “don’t panic” set)

學校

xué xiào

school

我今天要去學校。

wǒ jīn tiān yào qù xué xiào

I’m going to school today.

老師

lǎo shī

teacher

老師今天很忙。

lǎo shī jīn tiān hěn máng

The teacher is very busy today.

學生

xué shēng

student

我是這裡的學生。

wǒ shì zhè lǐ de xué shēng

I’m a student here.

上課

shàng kè

to attend class / class starts

我們八點開始上課。

wǒ men bā diǎn kāi shǐ shàng kè

Our class starts at 8 o’clock.

下課

xià kè

class ends / to get out of class

下課後我們去圖書館。

xià kè hòu wǒ men qù tú shū guǎn

After class, we go to the library.

作業

zuò yè

homework / assignment

我還沒寫完作業。

wǒ hái méi xiě wán zuò yè

I haven’t finished my homework yet.

考試

kǎo shì

exam / test

明天有考試，我要複習。

míng tiān yǒu kǎo shì, wǒ yào fù xí

There’s a test tomorrow, so I need to review.

課本

kè běn

textbook

請把課本打開到第十頁。

qǐng bǎ kè běn dǎ kāi dào dì shí yè

Please open the textbook to page 10.

Useful classroom phrases (copy-paste ready)

These make you sound like you belong there—even if you’re internally screaming.

我要上學。

wǒ yào shàng xué

I’m going to school.

我七點半出門，我要上學。

wǒ qī diǎn bàn chū mén, wǒ yào shàng xué

I leave at 7:30. I’m going to school.

我在上課。

wǒ zài shàng kè

I’m in class.

現在別打給我，我在上課。

xiàn zài bié dǎ gěi wǒ, wǒ zài shàng kè

Don’t call me right now, I’m in class.

下課見。

xià kè jiàn

See you after class.

我先去上課，下課見！

wǒ xiān qù shàng kè, xià kè jiàn

I’m going to class first. See you after!

今天有作業嗎？

jīn tiān yǒu zuò yè ma

Do we have homework today?

我忘了，今天有作業嗎？

wǒ wàng le, jīn tiān yǒu zuò yè ma

I forgot—do we have homework today?

請問這是什麼意思？

qǐng wèn zhè shì shén me yì si

What does this mean?

請問「複習」是什麼意思？

qǐng wèn “fù xí” shì shén me yì si

What does “review” mean?

可以再說一次嗎？

kě yǐ zài shuō yí cì ma

Can you say it again?

我沒聽清楚，可以再說一次嗎？

wǒ méi tīng qīng chǔ, kě yǐ zài shuō yí cì ma

I didn’t hear clearly—can you say it again?

我聽不懂。

wǒ tīng bù dǒng

I don’t understand (what I’m hearing).

老師說太快了，我聽不懂。

lǎo shī shuō tài kuài le, wǒ tīng bù dǒng

The teacher speaks too fast; I don’t understand.

我可以去廁所嗎？

wǒ kě yǐ qù cè suǒ ma

Can I go to the restroom?

不好意思，我可以去廁所嗎？

bù hǎo yì si, wǒ kě yǐ qù cè suǒ ma

Excuse me, can I go to the restroom?

請打開課本。

qǐng dǎ kāi kè běn

Please open your textbook.

請打開課本，我們開始。

qǐng dǎ kāi kè běn, wǒ men kāi shǐ

Please open the textbook. Let’s begin.

請翻到第十頁。

qǐng fān dào dì shí yè

Please turn to page 10.

請翻到第十頁，我們看第一題。

qǐng fān dào dì shí yè, wǒ men kàn dì yī tí

Turn to page 10; let’s look at question one.

我忘記帶作業了。

wǒ wàng jì dài zuò yè le

I forgot to bring my homework.

對不起，我忘記帶作業了。

duì bù qǐ, wǒ wàng jì dài zuò yè le

Sorry, I forgot to bring my homework.

這題怎麼做？

zhè tí zěn me zuò

How do you do this question?

我卡住了，這題怎麼做？

wǒ kǎ zhù le, zhè tí zěn me zuò

I’m stuck—how do you do this one?

我要請假。

wǒ yào qǐng jià

I need to take leave (ask for time off).

我不舒服，所以我要請假。

wǒ bù shū fú, suǒ yǐ wǒ yào qǐng jià

I’m not feeling well, so I need to take leave.

我們要考試了。

wǒ men yào kǎo shì le

We’re going to have a test.

下週我們要考試了，別偷懶。

xià zhōu wǒ men yào kǎo shì le, bié tōu lǎn

We have a test next week—don’t slack off.

A tiny bit of “why this sounds weird in English”

上課 and 下課 aren’t just “take a class.” In real life, they act like signals: “class starts” and “class ends.” So 上課了 feels like “Class is starting,” and 下課了 feels like “Class is over.” Also, 上學 is “go to school” (the whole school-day idea), while 上課 is the class session itself.

School vocabulary tables (the big helpful list)

People & roles

Traditional	Pinyin	Meaning	Example (ZH + pinyin)	Translation (EN)
同學	tóng xué	classmate	我跟同學一起做報告。 wǒ gēn tóng xué yì qǐ zuò bào gào	I work on a report with my classmates.
校長	xiào zhǎng	principal	校長今天在操場講話。 xiào zhǎng jīn tiān zài cāo chǎng jiǎng huà	The principal is speaking on the field today.
主任	zhǔ rèn	director (school admin)	主任請大家排隊。 zhǔ rèn qǐng dà jiā pái duì	The director asks everyone to line up.
班導	bān dǎo	homeroom teacher (Taiwan)	班導提醒我們交作業。 bān dǎo tí xǐng wǒ men jiāo zuò yè	Our homeroom teacher reminds us to hand in homework.
班長	bān zhǎng	class leader	班長負責點名。 bān zhǎng fù zé diǎn míng	The class leader is responsible for roll call.
風紀股長	fēng jì gǔ zhǎng	discipline monitor	風紀股長叫大家安靜。 fēng jì gǔ zhǎng jiào dà jiā ān jìng	The discipline monitor tells everyone to be quiet.
圖書館員	tú shū guǎn yuán	librarian	圖書館員請我輕聲說話。 tú shū guǎn yuán qǐng wǒ qīng shēng shuō huà	The librarian asks me to speak quietly.
校護	xiào hù	school nurse	我頭痛，所以去找校護。 wǒ tóu tòng, suǒ yǐ qù zhǎo xiào hù	I have a headache, so I go to the school nurse.
警衛	jǐng wèi	security guard	警衛在校門口站崗。 jǐng wèi zài xiào mén kǒu zhàn gǎng	The guard is on duty at the school gate.
家長	jiā zhǎng	parent / guardian	家長會在晚上舉辦。 jiā zhǎng huì zài wǎn shàng jǔ bàn	The parent meeting is held in the evening.
教授	jiào shòu	professor	教授要我們做研究。 jiào shòu yào wǒ men zuò yán jiū	The professor wants us to do research.
助教	zhù jiào	teaching assistant	助教幫我看答案。 zhù jiào bāng wǒ kàn dá àn	The TA helps me check the answers.

Places at school

Traditional	Pinyin	Meaning	Example (ZH + pinyin)	Translation (EN)
教室	jiào shì	classroom	教室裡有很多桌椅。 jiào shì lǐ yǒu hěn duō zhuō yǐ	There are many desks and chairs in the classroom.
辦公室	bàn gōng shì	office	老師在辦公室改作業。 lǎo shī zài bàn gōng shì gǎi zuò yè	The teacher grades homework in the office.
圖書館	tú shū guǎn	library	我下課後去圖書館讀書。 wǒ xià kè hòu qù tú shū guǎn dú shū	I go study in the library after class.
操場	cāo chǎng	sports field	我們在操場跑步。 wǒ men zài cāo chǎng pǎo bù	We run on the field.
體育館	tǐ yù guǎn	gymnasium	今天在體育館上體育課。 jīn tiān zài tǐ yù guǎn shàng tǐ yù kè	Today PE is in the gym.
食堂	shí táng	cafeteria	中午我們去食堂吃飯。 zhōng wǔ wǒ men qù shí táng chī fàn	At noon we go eat at the cafeteria.
福利社	fú lì shè	school store (Taiwan)	我去福利社買水。 wǒ qù fú lì shè mǎi shuǐ	I go to the school store to buy water.
校門口	xiào mén kǒu	school gate entrance	我們在校門口集合。 wǒ men zài xiào mén kǒu jí hé	We meet up at the school gate.
走廊	zǒu láng	hallway	走廊上不能奔跑。 zǒu láng shàng bù néng bēn pǎo	You can’t run in the hallway.
樓梯	lóu tī	stairs	我們走樓梯上三樓。 wǒ men zǒu lóu tī shàng sān lóu	We take the stairs up to the third floor.
實驗室	shí yàn shì	laboratory	化學課在實驗室上。 huà xué kè zài shí yàn shì shàng	Chemistry class is held in the lab.
電腦教室	diàn nǎo jiào shì	computer classroom	我們在電腦教室做作業。 wǒ men zài diàn nǎo jiào shì zuò zuò yè	We do assignments in the computer lab.
音樂教室	yīn yuè jiào shì	music room	音樂教室裡有鋼琴。 yīn yuè jiào shì lǐ yǒu gāng qín	There’s a piano in the music room.
美術教室	měi shù jiào shì	art room	我們在美術教室畫畫。 wǒ men zài měi shù jiào shì huà huà	We paint in the art room.

Subjects (common class names)

Traditional	Pinyin	Meaning	Example (ZH + pinyin)	Translation (EN)
國文	guó wén	Chinese (language arts)	我最怕國文背課文。 wǒ zuì pà guó wén bèi kè wén	I’m most afraid of memorizing texts in Chinese class.
英文	yīng wén	English	英文課要做口說練習。 yīng wén kè yào zuò kǒu shuō liàn xí	In English class, we do speaking practice.
數學	shù xué	math	數學作業很多。 shù xué zuò yè hěn duō	There’s a lot of math homework.
自然	zì rán	science (general)	自然課今天做實驗。 zì rán kè jīn tiān zuò shí yàn	In science class today, we do an experiment.
社會	shè huì	social studies	社會課在講地理。 shè huì kè zài jiǎng dì lǐ	Social studies class is talking about geography.
歷史	lì shǐ	history	我用時間軸念歷史。 wǒ yòng shí jiān zhóu niàn lì shǐ	I study history using a timeline.
地理	dì lǐ	geography	地理課要看地圖。 dì lǐ kè yào kàn dì tú	In geography, we need to look at maps.
物理	wù lǐ	physics	物理題目很燒腦。 wù lǐ tí mù hěn shāo nǎo	Physics problems are brain-melting.
化學	huà xué	chemistry	化學課要戴護目鏡。 huà xué kè yào dài hù mù jìng	In chemistry class, you need to wear goggles.
生物	shēng wù	biology	生物課在學細胞。 shēng wù kè zài xué xì bāo	In biology we’re learning about cells.
音樂	yīn yuè	music	音樂課要唱歌。 yīn yuè kè yào chàng gē	In music class, we have to sing.
美術	měi shù	art	美術課我最放鬆。 měi shù kè wǒ zuì fàng sōng	I’m most relaxed in art class.
體育	tǐ yù	PE / physical education	體育課要帶運動鞋。 tǐ yù kè yào dài yùn dòng xié	For PE you need to bring sneakers.
資訊	zī xùn	computer studies / IT	資訊課要寫程式。 zī xùn kè yào xiě chéng shì	In computer class we write code.
公民	gōng mín	civics	公民課在討論權利。 gōng mín kè zài tǎo lùn quán lì	In civics class, we discuss rights.
健康教育	jiàn kāng jiào yù	health education	健康教育教我們保護自己。 jiàn kāng jiào yù jiāo wǒ men bǎo hù zì jǐ	Health class teaches us how to protect ourselves.

School supplies

Traditional	Pinyin	Meaning	Example (ZH + pinyin)	Translation (EN)
書包	shū bāo	school bag / backpack	我的書包很重。 wǒ de shū bāo hěn zhòng	My backpack is heavy.
筆記本	bǐ jì běn	notebook	我在筆記本上做筆記。 wǒ zài bǐ jì běn shàng zuò bǐ jì	I take notes in my notebook.
作業本	zuò yè běn	workbook / homework notebook	作業本要寫姓名。 zuò yè běn yào xiě xìng míng	You need to write your name on the workbook.
鉛筆	qiān bǐ	pencil	我用鉛筆畫草稿。 wǒ yòng qiān bǐ huà cǎo gǎo	I use a pencil to sketch a draft.
原子筆	yuán zǐ bǐ	ballpoint pen	考試要用原子筆。 kǎo shì yào yòng yuán zǐ bǐ	For tests, you need a ballpoint pen.
自動鉛筆	zì dòng qiān bǐ	mechanical pencil	我的自動鉛筆沒筆芯了。 wǒ de zì dòng qiān bǐ méi bǐ xīn le	My mechanical pencil is out of lead.
橡皮擦	xiàng pí cā	eraser	可以借我橡皮擦嗎？ kě yǐ jiè wǒ xiàng pí cā ma	Can I borrow your eraser?
尺	chǐ	ruler	我用尺畫直線。 wǒ yòng chǐ huà zhí xiàn	I use a ruler to draw a straight line.
修正帶	xiū zhèng dài	correction tape	我用修正帶改錯字。 wǒ yòng xiū zhèng dài gǎi cuò zì	I use correction tape to fix typos.
螢光筆	yíng guāng bǐ	highlighter	我用螢光筆標重點。 wǒ yòng yíng guāng bǐ biāo zhòng diǎn	I highlight the key points.
文件夾	wén jiàn jiā	folder	把講義放進文件夾。 bǎ jiǎng yì fàng jìn wén jiàn jiā	Put the handouts into the folder.
便條紙	biàn tiáo zhǐ	sticky notes	我用便條紙提醒自己。 wǒ yòng biàn tiáo zhǐ tí xǐng zì jǐ	I use sticky notes to remind myself.
剪刀	jiǎn dāo	scissors	美術課需要剪刀。 měi shù kè xū yào jiǎn dāo	Art class needs scissors.
膠水	jiāo shuǐ	glue	用膠水把紙黏起來。 yòng jiāo shuǐ bǎ zhǐ nián qǐ lái	Use glue to stick the paper together.

Actions & routines (what you do all day)

Traditional	Pinyin	Meaning	Example (ZH + pinyin)	Translation (EN)
上學	shàng xué	to go to school	我每天走路上學。 wǒ měi tiān zǒu lù shàng xué	I walk to school every day.
放學	fàng xué	school ends / to be dismissed	放學後我去補習班。 fàng xué hòu wǒ qù bǔ xí bān	After school, I go to cram school.
遲到	chí dào	to be late	今天下雨，我差點遲到。 jīn tiān xià yǔ, wǒ chà diǎn chí dào	It rained today; I was almost late.
早自習	zǎo zì xí	morning self-study (Taiwan)	早自習我會背單字。 zǎo zì xí wǒ huì bèi dān zì	During morning study, I memorize vocabulary.
點名	diǎn míng	roll call	上課前先點名。 shàng kè qián xiān diǎn míng	Before class starts, we do roll call.
請假	qǐng jià	to ask for leave	我發燒了，所以要請假。 wǒ fā shāo le, suǒ yǐ yào qǐng jià	I have a fever, so I need to take leave.
發作業	fā zuò yè	to hand out homework	老師把作業發下來。 lǎo shī bǎ zuò yè fā xià lái	The teacher hands out the homework.
交作業	jiāo zuò yè	to turn in homework	別忘了今天要交作業。 bié wàng le jīn tiān yào jiāo zuò yè	Don’t forget to turn in homework today.
寫作業	xiě zuò yè	to do homework (write it)	我晚上八點開始寫作業。 wǒ wǎn shàng bā diǎn kāi shǐ xiě zuò yè	I start doing homework at 8 p.m.
複習	fù xí	to review	我用筆記複習考試範圍。 wǒ yòng bǐ jì fù xí kǎo shì fàn wéi	I use my notes to review the test scope.
預習	yù xí	to preview / prepare ahead	先預習，明天比較聽得懂。 xiān yù xí, míng tiān bǐ jiào tīng de dǒng	Preview first; tomorrow you’ll understand better.
做筆記	zuò bǐ jì	to take notes	上課要做筆記。 shàng kè yào zuò bǐ jì	You should take notes in class.
分組	fēn zǔ	to form groups	老師要我們分組討論。 lǎo shī yào wǒ men fēn zǔ tǎo lùn	The teacher wants us to discuss in groups.
討論	tǎo lùn	to discuss	我們討論到下課。 wǒ men tǎo lùn dào xià kè	We discuss until class ends.
舉手	jǔ shǒu	to raise (your) hand	想回答就舉手。 xiǎng huí dá jiù jǔ shǒu	If you want to answer, raise your hand.
回答問題	huí dá wèn tí	to answer a question	我不敢回答問題。 wǒ bù gǎn huí dá wèn tí	I don’t dare answer the question.
補課	bǔ kè	make-up class / extra class	颱風停課後要補課。 tái fēng tíng kè hòu yào bǔ kè	After class is canceled for a typhoon, we have make-up classes.

Tests, grades, and the emotional damage

Traditional	Pinyin	Meaning	Example (ZH + pinyin)	Translation (EN)
小考	xiǎo kǎo	quiz	老師突然來個小考。 lǎo shī tū rán lái gè xiǎo kǎo	The teacher suddenly gives a quiz.
期中考	qí zhōng kǎo	midterm exam	期中考快到了。 qí zhōng kǎo kuài dào le	The midterm is coming soon.
期末考	qí mò kǎo	final exam	期末考之後就放假。 qí mò kǎo zhī hòu jiù fàng jià	After finals, it’s vacation.
模擬考	mó nǐ kǎo	mock exam	模擬考幫我抓弱點。 mó nǐ kǎo bāng wǒ zhuā ruò diǎn	The mock exam helps me find weak spots.
考卷	kǎo juàn	test paper	考卷上要寫班級和座號。 kǎo juàn shàng yào xiě bān jí hé zuò hào	On the test paper you must write your class and seat number.
成績	chéng jì	grade / results	我的成績進步了。 wǒ de chéng jì jìn bù le	My grades improved.
分數	fēn shù	score	這次分數不太高。 zhè cì fēn shù bù tài gāo	This time the score isn’t very high.
及格	jí gé	to pass	只要及格就好。 zhǐ yào jí gé jiù hǎo	As long as I pass, I’m good.
不及格	bù jí gé	to fail	我怕數學不及格。 wǒ pà shù xué bù jí gé	I’m afraid I’ll fail math.
作弊	zuò bì	to cheat	考試作弊會被記過。 kǎo shì zuò bì huì bèi jì guò	Cheating on a test can get you disciplined.
監考	jiān kǎo	to proctor an exam	今天有兩位老師監考。 jīn tiān yǒu liǎng wèi lǎo shī jiān kǎo	Two teachers are proctoring today.
讀書	dú shū	to study	我晚上要去圖書館讀書。 wǒ wǎn shàng yào qù tú shū guǎn dú shū	I’m going to the library to study tonight.

Classroom commands & everyday words

Traditional	Pinyin	Meaning	Example (ZH + pinyin)	Translation (EN)
安靜	ān jìng	quiet / be quiet	請安靜，我們要開始了。 qǐng ān jìng, wǒ men yào kāi shǐ le	Please be quiet; we’re about to start.
排隊	pái duì	to line up	請到門口排隊。 qǐng dào mén kǒu pái duì	Please line up at the door.
講義	jiǎng yì	handout	今天會發講義。 jīn tiān huì fā jiǎng yì	We’ll hand out materials today.
抄寫	chāo xiě	to copy (write down)	把黑板上的句子抄寫下來。 bǎ hēi bǎn shàng de jù zǐ chāo xiě xià lái	Copy down the sentences from the board.
朗讀	lǎng dú	to read aloud	請大家一起朗讀。 qǐng dà jiā yì qǐ lǎng dú	Please read aloud together.
翻頁	fān yè	to turn the page	看完就翻頁。 kàn wán jiù fān yè	After you finish reading, turn the page.
答案	dá àn	answer	先想一想，再看答案。 xiān xiǎng yì xiǎng, zài kàn dá àn	Think first, then look at the answer.
問題	wèn tí	question / problem	你有問題可以問我。 nǐ yǒu wèn tí kě yǐ wèn wǒ	If you have questions, you can ask me.

Extra: common school-related words (because real life is messy)

Traditional	Pinyin	Meaning	Example (ZH + pinyin)	Translation (EN)
補習班	bǔ xí bān	cram school	很多人放學後去補習班。 hěn duō rén fàng xué hòu qù bǔ xí bān	Many people go to cram school after class.
社團	shè tuán	club (extracurricular)	我參加了攝影社團。 wǒ cān jiā le shè yǐng shè tuán	I joined the photography club.
報告	bào gào	report / presentation	明天要上台做報告。 míng tiān yào shàng tái zuò bào gào	Tomorrow we have to present a report.
上台	shàng tái	to go on stage / go to the front	老師叫我上台回答。 lǎo shī jiào wǒ shàng tái huí dá	The teacher asks me to go up front and answer.
下台	xià tái	to step down / leave the front	我講完就下台了。 wǒ jiǎng wán jiù xià tái le	After I finished speaking, I stepped down.
座位	zuò wèi	seat	我的座位在窗邊。 wǒ de zuò wèi zài chuāng biān	My seat is by the window.
座號	zuò hào	seat number	考卷上要寫座號。 kǎo juàn shàng yào xiě zuò hào	You must write your seat number on the test.
課表	kè biǎo	class schedule	我把課表貼在書桌前。 wǒ bǎ kè biǎo tiē zài shū zhuō qián	I stick my schedule in front of my desk.

Optional: measure words & handy variants

Measure words you’ll actually hear

Traditional	Pinyin	Meaning (EN)	Example (ZH + pinyin)	Translation (EN)
一堂課	yì táng kè	one class session	今天我只有一堂課。 jīn tiān wǒ zhǐ yǒu yì táng kè	Today I only have one class.
一節課	yì jié kè	one period (class period)	這一節課很快就過了。 zhè yì jié kè hěn kuài jiù guò le	This class period passed quickly.
一本書	yì běn shū	one book	我想借一本到圖書館的書。 wǒ xiǎng jiè yì běn dào tú shū guǎn de shū	I want to borrow a book from the library.
一支筆	yì zhī bǐ	one pen	你有多的一支筆嗎？ nǐ yǒu duō de yì zhī bǐ ma	Do you have an extra pen?
一張考卷	yì zhāng kǎo juàn	one test paper	老師發了一張考卷。 lǎo shī fā le yì zhāng kǎo juàn	The teacher handed out a test paper.

Synonyms & close cousins (so you recognize them)

Traditional	Pinyin	Meaning (EN)	Example (ZH + pinyin)	Translation (EN)
功課	gōng kè	schoolwork (often like “homework”)	我今天功課很多。 wǒ jīn tiān gōng kè hěn duō	I have a lot of schoolwork today.
教師	jiào shī	teacher (more formal)	學校有很多優秀的教師。 xué xiào yǒu hěn duō yōu xiù de jiào shī	The school has many excellent teachers.
同班同學	tóng bān tóng xué	classmates in the same class	我跟同班同學很熟。 wǒ gēn tóng bān tóng xué hěn shú	I’m close with my classmates.