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学

学 (xué) Chinese Character: to study, to learn

8 strokes · HSK 1 · Radical 子

A child 子 under a roof is ready to 学 — learn.

Practice 学 in the interactive lesson

Chinese character story: A Child Learning Under a Roof

学 (xué) means “to study” or “to learn.” It is the simplified form of 學. The older character showed a child, 子, beneath a roof while knowledge was passed down from above. The modern form keeps the child at the bottom, making 学 a natural symbol for learning.

🧩 Word buildingSee what every part contributes

Chinese words often combine short meaning clues. Fixed expressions are clearly marked so you do not translate them too literally.

学生
学study生person learning=student
学校
学study校school=school

Chinese character origin and etymology

学 is documented as a character built from meaningful or phonetic parts. Its earlier written forms gradually became the regular-script shape used today.

In modern simplified Chinese, 学 is written with 8 strokes. This lesson separates documented shape history from the memory story so learners do not mistake a mnemonic for a historical claim. 学 contains ⺍冖 and 子. These parts act like clues: a component may suggest a meaning category, a pronunciation, or simply preserve part of the character's historical structure.

Chinese character stroke order and structure

学 is written with 8 strokes. Learn the complete stroke sequence in the interactive lesson, then write the character from memory before checking your answer.

  • ⺍冖 — simplified upper structure suggesting a roof and teaching above
  • 子 — child, learner

Common usage and sentence patterns

The examples below show 学 in complete beginner-friendly sentences. Read each sentence aloud, notice where the character appears, and then replace one noun or number to create a new sentence of your own.

我学习中文。 Wǒ xuéxí Zhōngwén. I study Chinese.
她想学汉字。 Tā xiǎng xué Hànzì. She wants to learn Chinese characters.
学生在学校学习。 Xuésheng zài xuéxiào xuéxí. Students study at school.

Learning tips for 学

Learn the reading as one unit: xué, with the second tone: rising. Avoid memorizing the letters without the tone mark. Say the syllable, recall the English meaning “to study, to learn,” and write the 8 strokes from memory.

Because 学 contains reusable components, identify those clues before memorizing the whole shape. Compare it with 子 (zǐ, child — the lower component); 校 (xiào, school — used in 学校); 习 (xí, practice — used in 学习). Similar characters are easier to remember when their different parts and meanings are studied side by side.

Quick review checklist

  • Can you recognize 学 without pinyin?
  • Can you say xué with the correct tone and explain “to study, to learn”?
  • Can you write all 8 strokes in order?
  • Can you use 学 in one short sentence?

Related characters

Learn 学 in a themed collection

Compare this character with related beginner words. A themed path helps you notice useful pairs, word-building patterns, and everyday contexts.

🏃 Essential Chinese Verbs

Continue learning Chinese characters

Use the Chinese radicals and components guide to understand reusable parts, the stroke order guide to improve handwriting, and the HSK 1 character overview to choose your next beginner lesson.

Sources and editorial note

HanziStory separates documented character history from modern memory stories. Historical-form images are shown only when a matching source file is available; missing stages are skipped rather than invented. Stroke practice uses HanziWriter data.

Last updated: August 12, 2026. Read our sources, editorial method, and correction policy.