Chinese word

小学

Pronunciation

Pinyinxiǎo xué

Meaning

  • nounelementary school

Example

她明年要上小学。tā míng nián yào shàng xiǎo xué

She will attend elementary school next year.

Illustration for 小学 (elementary school)

More examples

他是小学老师。tā shì xiǎo xué lǎo shī

He is an elementary school teacher.

Core concept

The first structured stage of learning, where children build literacy, basic number skills, and everyday habits.

Common phrases

  • 上小学shàng xiǎo xué

    attend elementary school

  • 小学老师xiǎo xué lǎo shī

    elementary school teacher

Similar words

学校xué xiào: A place or institution where people study and receive education.
幼儿园yòu ér yuán: A kindergarten where young children learn through play, activities, and shared routines.
中学zhōng xué: A later school stage for children who study more advanced subjects.

Definition in Chinese

指儿童就读的基础教育学校或阶段，侧重培养识字、基本运算和日常生活习惯。zhǐ ér tóng jiù dú de jī chǔ jiào yù xué xiào huò jiē duàn cè zhòng péi yǎng shí zì jī běn yùn suàn hé rì cháng shēng huó xí guàn

Word origin

小学 (xiǎoxué, "elementary learning") originally meant basic learning and later became the name for the first stage of formal schooling.

Usage tips

  • In Chinese, grade labels put 小学 (xiǎoxué, "elementary school") before the number, so 小学一年级 (xiǎoxué yīniánjí, "first grade of elementary school") follows the pattern "school stage + grade."

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word