Chinese word

同学

Pronunciation

Pinyintóng xué

Meaning

  • nounclassmate

Example

他是我的同学。tā shì wǒ de tóng xué

He is my classmate.

Illustration for 同学 (classmate)

More examples

我和同学一起做作业。wǒ hé tóng xué yì qǐ zuò zuò yè

I do homework with my classmates.

Core concept

Students linked by learning in the same school setting and period, from one class or a wider school group.

Common phrases

  • 我的同学wǒ de tóng xué

    my classmate

  • 同学们tóng xué men

    classmates

  • 和同学一起hé tóng xué yì qǐ

    with a classmate

Similar words

学生xué shēng: A person receiving education at a school.
朋友péng yǒu: A close companion for spending time together and talking.

Definition in Chinese

指在同一时期或同一学习环境中一起上学的学生，既可指具体同班同学，也可泛指同校或同时期的学友。zhǐ zài tóng yì shí qī huò tóng yì xué xí huán jìng zhōng yì qǐ shàng xué de xué shēng jì kě zhǐ jù tǐ tóng bān tóng xué yě kě fàn zhǐ tóng xiào huò tóng shí qī de xué yǒu

Word origin

同 (tóng, "same") + 学 (xué, "learn") puts shared learning at the center, forming a term for people who study together.

Usage tips

  • 同学 (tóngxué, "classmate") is also a natural way to call a student whose name is unknown, especially in a school setting.

Other meanings

  • schoolmatenoun

Word lists with this word