Chinese word

幼儿园

Pronunciation

Pinyinyòu ér yuán

Meaning

  • nounkindergarten

Example

孩子每天上午在幼儿园画画。hái zi měi tiān shàng wǔ zài yòu ér yuán huà huà

The child draws pictures at kindergarten every morning.

Illustration for 幼儿园 (kindergarten)

More examples

他已经开始上幼儿园了。tā yǐ jīng kāi shǐ shàng yòu ér yuán le

He has already started attending kindergarten.

Core concept

A shared early-childhood setting where young children learn routines, play, and begin social life together.

Common phrases

  • 上幼儿园shàng yòu ér yuán

    go to kindergarten

  • 在幼儿园里zài yòu ér yuán lǐ

    at kindergarten

  • 把孩子送到幼儿园bǎ hái zi sòng dào yòu ér yuán

    send a child to kindergarten

Similar words

托儿所tuō ér suǒ: A daycare center that cares for infants and young children for part or all of the day.
小学xiǎo xué: A primary school where children learn basic subjects and rules for school life.

Definition in Chinese

面向学龄前儿童，提供游戏、生活习惯训练和初步社交学习的集体教育或保育场所，通常接收3至6岁儿童。miàn xiàng xué líng qián ér tóng tí gōng yóu xì shēng huó xí guàn xùn liàn hé chū bù shè jiāo xué xí de jí tǐ jiào yù huò bǎo yù cháng suǒ tōng cháng jiē shōu 3 zhì 6 suì ér tóng

Word origin

幼儿园 (yòuéryuán, "kindergarten") combines 幼 (yòu, "young") + 儿 (ér, "child") + 园 (yuán, "garden or enclosed place"), presenting an enclosed place for young children.

Usage tips

  • For everyday scheduling, Chinese treats attendance at this setting as a routine part of family life, so verbs about sending, picking up, and attending commonly surround the noun.

Other meanings

  • nursery schoolnoun
  • daycare centernoun

Opposites

Word lists with this word