Life at School and College
Read Chinese characters for school life: the subjects you study, from Maths and Science to Art and PE, and the places around a school.
Practise it before the paper, not after
Free, interactive practice on the words and structures the examiner keeps asking for.
Start revising freeWhat you'll cover
Subjects and places
This module builds your Chinese for school life: the subjects you study, and the places around a school.
Each example is a Chinese word with its English meaning. A full sentence looks like this: 我学数学 (wǒ xué shùxué), meaning I study Maths.
Four subjects
Start with four school subjects.
Match each subject
- 英文
- 美术
- 体育
- 地理
- English
- Art
- PE
- Geography
Two characters to know
Two characters help you read subjects: 学 (xué) means study and often ends a subject name, and 文 (wén) often marks a language. Spot one of these and you can guess whether a word is a subject or a language.
Which subject is Maths?
Which Chinese word means Maths?
- 数学
- 科学
- 历史
- 音乐
Spot the two languages
Select the TWO subjects that are languages.
- 英文
- 法文
- 数学
- 音乐
Match each place
- 教室
- 食堂
- 操场
- 礼堂
- a classroom
- a canteen
- a playing field
- an assembly hall
Subjects and places
Reading the whole word tells you whether it names a subject you study or a place at school. Here are more of each.
Find the two subjects
Tap the TWO words that are school subjects.
- 数学, Maths
- 教室, a classroom
- 音乐, Music
- 食堂, a canteen
Reading a sentence
Now read a full Chinese sentence:
我喜欢科学 (wǒ xǐhuān kēxué) = "I like Science". Parts: 我喜欢 (wǒ xǐhuān, "I like"), then 科学 (kēxué, "Science"). 科学 ends in 学 (xué), the study character.
What does it say?
In 我喜欢科学 (wǒ xǐhuān kēxué), which subject does the person like?
- Science
- Maths
- History
- Art
A school day
Put the parts of a school day into a sensible order.
- Arrive at school
- Go to your classroom
- Have your Maths lesson
- Eat lunch in the canteen
- Play sport on the field
Complete the school facts
The subject 数学 means _____. A language subject like 英文 means _____. You learn in a _____. You eat lunch in the _____. You play sport on the _____.
Read the sign
Use what you know to read each Chinese word around school. Choose each time.
- A timetable shows 数学 (shùxué) next. What lesson is it?
- A door is labelled 食堂 (shítáng). What is inside?
- A sign points to the 操场 (cāochǎng). Where does it lead?
Write about your school
In English, write about the subjects you study and the places at your school, using some of the Chinese words. This is written in English and is not auto-marked.
- Name two subjects you study, with their Chinese words
- Name a place at school, with its Chinese word
- Explain how the character 学 helps you read subject names
- Write one full Chinese sentence with 我, for example 我学数学