Meanings & readings
Meanings & dictionary uses
2 senses · 4 wordsLearn and study
An educational institution or field of knowledge
Languages & readings
Choose a recorded reading. Explore other varieties through their reference sources below.
Mandarin
Sense-linked readingsReadings & meanings
Usage scope
Regional and word-specific qualifications remain attached to the sense and vocabulary records.
Cantonese
Selected character readingSource & reading limitations
Jyutping · Unihan 17.0.0
This property supplies a customary character reading for collation and transliteration. It does not list every reading or identify the reading for each word and sense. It also does not encode a separate regional label for each value.
Other Chinese languages & varieties
Reference guides · character readings not yet imported.
Taiwanese Hokkien 臺灣台語Reference sources only
The Ministry of Education dictionary is the reference for Taiwanese vocabulary and readings. Its Tâi-lô guide distinguishes citation tones from changes in connected speech. Other Hokkien varieties require their own sources.
- Reference variety
- Taiwanese Hokkien, with the regional distinctions recorded by Taiwan's Ministry of Education
- Notation
- Tâi-lô (臺羅), as used by the linked MOE dictionary
Hakka 客語Reference sources only
Taiwan's Ministry of Education documents six Hakka varieties separately. Choose the variety before comparing readings; a single undifferentiated Hakka pronunciation would hide meaningful differences.
- Reference variety
- Taiwan: Sixian, Hailu, Dapu, Raoping, Zhao'an and Southern Sixian
- Notation
- Taiwan Hakka Romanization System (臺灣客語拼音方案)
Teochew 潮州話／潮汕話Reference sources only
Explore CUHK's published Chaozhou lexicon and its separate Shantou sound table. These reference locations remain explicit: readings from one locality should not stand in for every Teochew variety.
- Reference variety
- Chaozhou lexicon; separate Shantou syllable-table resource
- Notation
- Source phonetic transcription; no shared local romanization imported
Wu 吳語・上海話Reference sources only
The linked university resource documents Shanghai. Wu also includes other local varieties; Shanghai readings should retain that location label when compared with Mandarin or Cantonese.
- Reference variety
- Shanghai
- Notation
- Phonetic transcription and tone values in the linked CUHK table
Eastern Min 閩東語・福州話Reference sources only
Fuzhou is an Eastern Min reference variety. Its dedicated CUHK sound table offers a starting point; other Eastern Min localities need distinct records and source attribution.
- Reference variety
- Fuzhou
- Notation
- Phonetic transcription and tone values in the linked CUHK table
Gan 贛語・南昌話Reference sources only
Begin with CUHK's Nanchang sound table. The broader Gan group contains local differences, so future readings should identify Nanchang or another documented locality explicitly.
- Reference variety
- Nanchang
- Notation
- Phonetic transcription and tone values in the linked CUHK table
Xiang 湘語・長沙話Reference sources only
Begin with CUHK's Changsha sound table. Keep Changsha separate from other Xiang localities when adding readings; the group name does not denote one uniform pronunciation.
- Reference variety
- Changsha
- Notation
- Phonetic transcription and tone values in the linked CUHK table
Readings in Japanese, Korean & Vietnamese
Readings recorded for 学 in other language traditions. These are character-level records, not word translations or interchangeable pronunciations.
Japanese 日本語
Grouped by the source’s kana notation; no frequency ranking is implied.
On’yomi · katakana
Kun’yomi · hiragana
Katakana generally indicates on’yomi; hiragana generally indicates kun’yomi. The source does not identify everyday, rare, historical or name use per reading. Kana strings are preserved, including any written endings; consult a Japanese word entry for actual use.
Go deeperJisho ↗Wiktionary ↗
Source record & scope
Unicode Unihan 17.0.0 · kJapanese ↗ · provisional property
ガク カク コウ キョウ まなぶ おしえるKorean 한국어
Hanja readings · Hangul
Source codes are separated below. They are neither sounds nor tones; a character reading alone does not specify a whole word’s pronunciation.
Go deeperNaver Hanja ↗Wiktionary ↗
Reading sources explained
- 학
- Personal-name Hanja (N)
Vietnamese Tiếng Việt
Not recorded for this exact character in this dataset. This does not mean the language has no reading.
Form & structure
Structure & components
3 direct parts- Layout
- top bottom
- Index radical
- 子 · 39 · 5 residual strokes
A small upper stroke cluster sits above 冖 and 子. This is a modern grouping for inspection, not evidence that the character was created by combining three modern words. The historical analysis belongs to the fuller 學 dossier.
Follow the recorded parts
- recorded boundary
- recorded boundary
- recorded boundary
A boundary means no finer analysis is published here; it does not assert an indivisible unit. Radical classification and component structure are separate.
Inspect the component network ↗Writing
8 strokesModern stroke order; regional conventions can differ. [47]
Words & connections
Examples
2 sentences我是這裡的學生。
我是这里的学生。
I am a student here.
我們一起學中文吧。
我们一起学中文吧。
Let us learn Chinese together.
Original editorial sentences. Pinyin uses dictionary tones; connected speech may differ.
Connections
0 phonetic neighboursThis pilot does not link this character to a sound (phonetic) family. Explore the other recorded relationships below.
Sentence context · 1 matches
你们今天下午在学校做些什么？
Source, contributors & licenses
Mandarin: Tatoeba #401952 · Original contributor: FeuDRenais · CC BY 2.0 FR · Attribution log · Current owner: GlossaMatik
English: Tatoeba #401948 · Original contributor: FeuDRenais · CC BY 2.0 FR · Attribution log · Current owner: CM
Source text unchanged. Original contributor and text editors are credited from the source log, separately from the current owner.
History & distinctions
Etymology & evidence
1 accountsOne modern route into a shared history
CUHK identifies 学 as corresponding to 學 and directs readers to that historical entry. The precise dates and examples of earlier abbreviated forms are not established by that cross-reference alone.
Reading this character · explanatory note
学 is the simplified character used in everyday words about learning. 学习 means to learn or study, 学生 is a student, 学校 is a school, and 科学 is science. The meaning of the whole word matters: 科学 is not normally translated by assigning a separate English noun to each of its characters. Traditional writing uses 學. The simplified form keeps 子 at the bottom and reduces the upper region. Earlier forms and origin proposals belong to the shared 學 dossier. This modern route explains the spelling you see today without inventing a separate ancient history from its fewer strokes.
Historical specimens remain at their sources. No dated attestation sequence or licensed specimen image is claimed.
Inspect CUHK’s forms and discussion ↗Forms & distinctions
学习 → 學習, 学生 → 學生, 学校 → 學校, 科学 → 科學. The 学/學 difference concerns writing convention. Pronunciation conventions must be stated separately, including the neutral syllable in mainland xuésheng and Taiwan’s dictionary xuéshēng.
Both 学 and 字 end with 子, but 字 has 宀 above it and means character or written word in common uses. The upper strokes matter.
觉 has 见 at the bottom; 学 has 子. Their similar upper regions do not make them interchangeable.
Sources & reference
Sources & research
5 sourcesLocator & rights
Character entry; 形義通解, 繁簡對應, and cited Shuowen discussion where present · link_only · 2026-10-12
Locator & rights
Release 2026-10-12T08:13:53Z. Exact word-reading locators are retained with each WordRecord. · permitted · 2026-10-12
Locator & rights
漢語拼音; definition 1 · link_only · 2026-10-12
Locator & rights
17.0.0 · permitted · 2026-10-12
Locator & rights
bddc96d41bef78427ed0e034e9f7e31d71fd1b92 · permitted · 2026-10-12
Open research · 2 items
- A dated history of abbreviated 学 forms requires further direct evidence.
- No independent specialist review or historical-image reuse permission.
Cited claims compared with the consulted entries; no independent expert review recorded.
Readings across dictionaries
- Xiandai Hanyu · 1983
- xué 1308.120
- Tongyong Guifan · 2013
- xué 416.090
- Reading counts · XDHYPLCD
- xué(5640)
Reference desk
- Kangxi positions
- 0279.121
- Cangjie
- FBND
- Four-corner
- 3240.7 9040.7