What Chinese do I need for a Chinese class?

Focus on survival phrases first: 请再说一遍 (please say it again), 听不懂 (I don't understand by listening), 这个怎么说 (how do you say this), and 什么意思 (what does it mean). These four phrases will get you through most classroom situations even as a complete beginner.

How do I ask my teacher to slow down in Chinese?

Say 请说慢一点 (qǐng shuō màn yīdiǎn) — "Please speak a little slower." You can also say 太快了 (tài kuài le) — "Too fast." Most teachers will appreciate you asking in Chinese rather than switching to English.

What's the difference between 老师 and 教授?

老师 (lǎoshī) is the general term for any teacher from kindergarten through university — it's also used as a respectful form of address. 教授 (jiàoshòu) specifically means "professor" at a university level. When in doubt, 老师 is always safe and respectful.

Should I learn simplified or traditional characters for school?

It depends on where you'll study. Mainland China uses simplified characters (简体字), while Taiwan and Hong Kong use traditional characters (繁体字). Most international Chinese classes teach simplified, which is also the HSK exam standard. See our guide on simplified vs traditional for more details.

Chinese Classroom Vocabulary: 80+ Essential Words for Students and Teachers

If you're taking Chinese classes — whether at a language school, university, or online — there's a unique challenge: the language you're studying is also the language of instruction. Your teacher might say 请打开课本第三十页 (please open your textbook to page 30), and if you don't know classroom vocabulary, you're lost before the lesson even starts.

This guide covers 80+ essential classroom words and phrases organized by real classroom situations. You'll learn the survival phrases every student needs from day one, school supplies vocabulary, common teacher instructions you'll hear repeatedly, and how to ask questions and talk about exams — all in Chinese. Master these words and your classroom experience becomes dramatically smoother.

Classroom Survival Phrases

Learn these first. They're the difference between struggling silently and actively participating in class, even as a beginner.

听不懂

tīng bù dǒng

I don't understand (what I'm hearing)

看不懂

kàn bù dǒng

I don't understand (what I'm reading)

请再说一遍

qǐng zài shuō yī biàn

Please say it one more time

请说慢一点

qǐng shuō màn yīdiǎn

Please speak a little slower

这个怎么说？

zhège zěnme shuō?

How do you say this?

什么意思？

shénme yìsi?

What does it mean?

怎么写？

zěnme xiě?

How do you write it?

怎么读？

zěnme dú?

How do you read/pronounce it?

Pro tip: 听不懂 vs 看不懂 is a key distinction in Chinese. 听 (tīng) = listen, so 听不懂 means you can't understand what you hear. 看 (kàn) = look, so 看不懂 means you can't understand what you read. This pattern works with many verbs: 学不会 (can't learn it), 记不住 (can't remember it).

Beyond these core survival phrases, you should also learn a few polite expressions that show effort and earn goodwill from teachers. Saying 谢谢老师 (xièxie lǎoshī) — "Thank you, teacher" — at the end of a lesson goes a long way. If you arrive late, 对不起，我迟到了 (duìbuqǐ, wǒ chídào le) — "Sorry, I'm late" — is the standard apology. And when your teacher explains something and you finally understand, responding with 我明白了 (wǒ míngbai le) or 我懂了 (wǒ dǒng le) — "I understand now" — confirms that the explanation worked and keeps the lesson moving.

School Supplies (学习用品)

Chinese	Pinyin	English	HSK Level
书	shū	book	HSK 1
课本	kèběn	textbook	HSK 3
笔	bǐ	pen/writing tool	HSK 2
铅笔	qiānbǐ	pencil	HSK 3
钢笔	gāngbǐ	fountain pen	HSK 4
纸	zhǐ	paper	HSK 3
本子	běnzi	notebook	HSK 3
字典	zìdiǎn	dictionary	HSK 3
橡皮	xiàngpí	eraser	HSK 4
尺子	chǐzi	ruler	HSK 4
书包	shūbāo	backpack/schoolbag	HSK 3
黑板	hēibǎn	blackboard	HSK 3
电脑	diànnǎo	computer	HSK 2

💡 The 笔 Family

笔 is the general word for any writing tool. Chinese builds specific types by adding a prefix: 铅笔 (lead + pen = pencil), 钢笔 (steel + pen = fountain pen), 毛笔 (hair + pen = calligraphy brush), 圆珠笔 (ball + pen = ballpoint pen), 彩色笔 (color + pen = colored marker).

A few additional supplies are worth knowing, especially if you attend a Chinese school. You may hear 文具盒 (wénjù hé) for pencil case, 修正液 (xiūzhèngyè) for correction fluid, and 荧光笔 (yíngguāngbǐ) for highlighter. In university settings, 笔记本电脑 (bǐjìběn diànnǎo) — laptop — is increasingly common alongside the traditional 课本.

People and Places at School

Chinese	Pinyin	English
老师	lǎoshī	teacher (also a respectful address)
同学	tóngxué	classmate
学生	xuéshēng	student
教授	jiàoshòu	professor
校长	xiàozhǎng	principal/president
教室	jiàoshì	classroom
图书馆	túshūguǎn	library
操场	cāochǎng	playground/sports field
食堂	shítáng	cafeteria/canteen
宿舍	sùshè	dormitory

Understanding how Chinese people address each other at school is important for social interactions. Students typically call their teachers 老师 preceded by their surname — for example, 王老师 (Wáng lǎoshī) for Teacher Wang. Between students, 同学 is used both as a general term for classmates and as a way to address someone whose name you don't know yet. In formal settings, you might also hear 班长 (bānzhǎng) — class monitor, a student elected to help manage classroom affairs. The role of class monitor is unique to Chinese education and carries real responsibilities like collecting homework and relaying announcements.

School Subjects (学科)

Knowing subject names helps you discuss your studies and understand schedules. Many subjects use descriptive compound words that make sense once you see the pattern.

Chinese	Pinyin	English	Word Breakdown
中文	zhōngwén	Chinese	中 (middle/China) + 文 (language)
英语	yīngyǔ	English	英 (England) + 语 (language)
数学	shùxué	math	数 (number) + 学 (study)
科学	kēxué	science	科 (subject/branch) + 学 (study)
历史	lìshǐ	history	历 (experience) + 史 (record)
地理	dìlǐ	geography	地 (earth) + 理 (principle)
物理	wùlǐ	physics	物 (thing) + 理 (principle)
化学	huàxué	chemistry	化 (change) + 学 (study)
音乐	yīnyuè	music	音 (sound) + 乐 (joy)
美术	měishù	art	美 (beautiful) + 术 (technique)
体育	tǐyù	PE / physical education	体 (body) + 育 (nurture)

Notice how many subjects end in 学 (xué), meaning "study" or "science of." This pattern extends to university subjects too: 经济学 (jīngjìxué) for economics, 心理学 (xīnlǐxué) for psychology, 哲学 (zhéxué) for philosophy, and 计算机科学 (jìsuànjī kēxué) for computer science. Once you recognize this building block, you can often guess what a subject is about even before looking it up. The other common suffix is 语 (yǔ), used for languages: 法语 (fǎyǔ) for French, 日语 (rìyǔ) for Japanese, 德语 (déyǔ) for German, and 西班牙语 (xībānyáyǔ) for Spanish.

Talking about subjects:

我最喜欢数学。(Wǒ zuì xǐhuan shùxué.) — I like math the most.
历史很有意思。(Lìshǐ hěn yǒu yìsi.) — History is very interesting.
你今天有什么课？(Nǐ jīntiān yǒu shénme kè?) — What classes do you have today?

Common Teacher Instructions

Your Chinese teacher will use these phrases constantly. Recognizing them by sound will help you follow along in class from day one.

Chinese	Pinyin	English
上课了	shàngkè le	Class is starting
下课了	xiàkè le	Class is over
请打开课本	qǐng dǎkāi kèběn	Please open your textbook
请跟我读	qǐng gēn wǒ dú	Please read after me
再读一遍	zài dú yī biàn	Read it one more time
大声一点	dà shēng yīdiǎn	A little louder
请看黑板	qǐng kàn hēibǎn	Please look at the blackboard
请写下来	qǐng xiě xiàlái	Please write it down
有问题吗？	yǒu wèntí ma?	Any questions?
做练习	zuò liànxí	Do the exercises
交作业	jiāo zuòyè	Hand in your homework
两个人一组	liǎng gè rén yī zǔ	Get into pairs

How to respond to teacher instructions: When the teacher asks the class a question and expects a group answer, you will often hear the class respond in unison. For 听懂了吗？ (tīng dǒng le ma?) — "Did you understand?" — the expected response is 听懂了 (tīng dǒng le). If the teacher says 好不好？(hǎo bù hǎo?) — "Is that okay?" — the class answers 好 (hǎo). When called on individually, you can say 我知道 (wǒ zhīdào) — "I know" — or 我不知道 (wǒ bù zhīdào) — "I don't know." If you need more time to think, a useful phrase is 让我想一想 (ràng wǒ xiǎng yī xiǎng) — "Let me think about it."

Questions Students Ask

Active participation accelerates learning. Here are the questions that good students ask regularly:

老师，这个字怎么写？ — Teacher, how do you write this character?

"X"是什么意思？ — What does "X" mean?

可以用中文说吗？ — Can you say it in Chinese?

我可以去洗手间吗？ — May I go to the restroom?

作业什么时候交？ — When is the homework due?

明天考试吗？ — Is there an exam tomorrow?

这个会考吗？ — Will this be on the test?

Another set of useful questions relates to logistics and scheduling. You can ask 今天的作业是什么？ (jīntiān de zuòyè shì shénme?) — "What is today's homework?" or 下节课我们学什么？ (xià jié kè wǒmen xué shénme?) — "What will we learn next class?" If you need to leave early, say 老师，我今天需要早走 (lǎoshī, wǒ jīntiān xūyào zǎo zǒu) — "Teacher, I need to leave early today." To ask about office hours, try 老师，什么时候可以找您？ (lǎoshī, shénme shíhou kěyǐ zhǎo nín?) — "Teacher, when can I come see you?" Using 您 (nín) instead of 你 (nǐ) shows extra respect.

Exam and Grade Vocabulary

Tests are a major part of Chinese education culture. These words come up frequently in any learning environment.

Chinese	Pinyin	English
考试	kǎoshì	exam/test
测验	cèyàn	quiz
成绩	chéngjì	grades/results
分数	fēnshù	score/marks
及格	jígé	pass (the exam)
不及格	bù jígé	fail
复习	fùxí	review/revise
作业	zuòyè	homework
毕业	bìyè	graduate

Exam-related sentences:

明天有考试，我要复习。(Míngtiān yǒu kǎoshì, wǒ yào fùxí.) — There's an exam tomorrow, I need to review.
我考了九十分。(Wǒ kǎo le jiǔshí fēn.) — I scored 90 points.
这次考试很难。(Zhè cì kǎoshì hěn nán.) — This exam was very hard.

In Chinese schools, grading is typically based on a 100-point scale rather than letter grades. A score of 90 to 100 is considered 优秀 (yōuxiù) — excellent. Scores between 80 and 89 are 良好 (liánghǎo) — good. The range of 70 to 79 is 中等 (zhōngděng) — average. Anything from 60 to 69 is 及格 (jígé) — passing. Below 60 is 不及格 (bù jígé) — failing. You will also encounter 满分 (mǎnfēn) — perfect score, and 零分 (líng fēn) — zero points. At the end of a semester, the overall assessment is called 期末成绩 (qīmò chéngjì) — final grades.

Some additional exam-related terms that are useful: 期中考试 (qīzhōng kǎoshì) means midterm exam, while 期末考试 (qīmò kǎoshì) means final exam. The dreaded 补考 (bǔkǎo) is a make-up exam for students who failed the first time. If you need to talk about studying for exams, 备考 (bèikǎo) means to prepare for an exam, and 临时抱佛脚 (línshí bào fójiǎo) is a colorful idiom meaning to cram at the last minute — literally "hugging Buddha's feet in an emergency."

Online Learning Terms

With the rise of virtual classrooms, these modern terms are increasingly essential:

Chinese	Pinyin	English
网课	wǎngkè	online class
视频	shìpín	video
麦克风	màikèfēng	microphone
摄像头	shèxiàngtóu	camera/webcam
打开/关掉麦克风	dǎkāi/guāndiào màikèfēng	turn on/off the microphone
屏幕共享	píngmù gòngxiǎng	screen share
聊天框	liáotiānkuāng	chat box
网络不好	wǎngluò bù hǎo	bad internet connection

Online class phrases:

老师，我听不到你的声音。(Lǎoshī, wǒ tīng bú dào nǐ de shēngyīn.) — Teacher, I can't hear you.
请打开麦克风。(Qǐng dǎkāi màikèfēng.) — Please turn on your microphone.
网络不好，我重新连一下。(Wǎngluò bù hǎo, wǒ chóngxīn lián yīxià.) — Bad connection, let me reconnect.

Study-Related Verbs and Expressions

To talk about your learning process, you need verbs that describe different study activities. These are the core study verbs every Chinese learner should know:

学 (xué) — to study or learn. The most general verb: 我在学中文 (wǒ zài xué zhōngwén) — "I'm studying Chinese."
复习 (fùxí) — to review. Looking at material you have already learned: 我要复习生词 (wǒ yào fùxí shēngcí) — "I need to review new vocabulary."
预习 (yùxí) — to preview or prepare before class. The opposite of 复习: 请预习第五课 (qǐng yùxí dì wǔ kè) — "Please preview lesson 5."
背 (bèi) — to memorize or recite from memory. Common with vocabulary and texts: 我要背这篇课文 (wǒ yào bèi zhè piān kèwén) — "I need to memorize this text."
练习 (liànxí) — to practice. Used for drills and exercises: 多练习说中文 (duō liànxí shuō zhōngwén) — "Practice speaking Chinese more."
理解 (lǐjiě) — to comprehend or understand deeply. Stronger than 懂: 我理解这个语法了 (wǒ lǐjiě zhège yǔfǎ le) — "I understand this grammar point now."
翻译 (fānyì) — to translate. Useful in class exercises: 请把这个句子翻译成中文 (qǐng bǎ zhège jùzi fānyì chéng zhōngwén) — "Please translate this sentence into Chinese."

Two expressions that describe your learning progress are worth memorizing. 进步 (jìnbù) means "progress" or "to improve" — hearing 你的中文进步了 (nǐ de zhōngwén jìnbù le) from your teacher is one of the best compliments. The opposite situation is described by 退步 (tuìbù) — "to regress," though hopefully you will not need this one often.

Classroom Etiquette: Chinese vs Western Schools

If you attend a class taught in the Chinese style, you will notice several differences from Western classroom culture. Understanding these differences helps you avoid awkward moments and show respect.

Standing to answer: In many Chinese classrooms, especially at the primary and secondary level, students stand up when the teacher calls their name. This is a sign of respect, not punishment. When the teacher enters the room at the start of class, the class monitor may call out 起立 (qǐlì) — "Stand up" — and the whole class rises and greets the teacher with 老师好 (lǎoshī hǎo) — "Hello, teacher." The teacher responds with 同学们好 (tóngxuémen hǎo) — "Hello, students" — and then says 请坐 (qǐng zuò) — "Please sit down."

Raising your hand: To ask a question or volunteer an answer, raise your hand and wait to be called on. The phrase is 举手 (jǔshǒu) — "raise your hand." Calling out answers without being asked is considered impolite. The teacher may say 谁知道答案？请举手 (shéi zhīdào dá'àn? qǐng jǔshǒu) — "Who knows the answer? Please raise your hand."

Respecting the teacher's authority: Chinese classroom culture places a high value on respecting teachers. The saying 一日为师，终身为父 (yī rì wéi shī, zhōngshēn wéi fù) — "A teacher for a day is a father for life" — reflects how deeply respect for teachers is embedded in Chinese culture. In practice, this means students are less likely to openly challenge or debate a teacher compared to Western classrooms. When you disagree, a polite approach is 老师，我有一个不同的看法 (lǎoshī, wǒ yǒu yī gè bùtóng de kànfǎ) — "Teacher, I have a different perspective."

Understanding the Chinese Education Structure

Knowing the vocabulary for different school levels helps you talk about your own education and understand the Chinese system. Here is how the Chinese education system is structured:

幼儿园 (yòu'éryuán) — kindergarten, typically ages 3 to 6
小学 (xiǎoxué) — primary/elementary school, grades 1 through 6 (ages 6 to 12)
初中 (chūzhōng) — junior high/middle school, grades 7 through 9 (ages 12 to 15)
高中 (gāozhōng) — senior high school, grades 10 through 12 (ages 15 to 18)
大学 (dàxué) — university or college (typically 4 years)
研究生 (yánjiūshēng) — graduate student, which includes 硕士 (shuòshì) for master's degree and 博士 (bóshì) for doctorate

The first nine years — 小学 and 初中 — are compulsory education, called 义务教育 (yìwù jiàoyù). A key vocabulary term is 学期 (xuéqī), meaning semester. The Chinese academic year has two semesters: 上学期 (shàng xuéqī) — first semester, starting in September, and 下学期 (xià xuéqī) — second semester, starting in February or March. The breaks between semesters are 寒假 (hánjià) — winter vacation, and 暑假 (shǔjià) — summer vacation.

When talking about grade levels, the pattern is straightforward. You say the school type plus 年级 (niánjí) — "grade." For example, 小学三年级 (xiǎoxué sān niánjí) means "third grade of elementary school," and 高中一年级 (gāozhōng yī niánjí) or simply 高一 (gāo yī) means "first year of senior high." At the university level, students use 大一 (dà yī), 大二 (dà èr), 大三 (dà sān), and 大四 (dà sì) for freshman through senior year.

Phrases for Participating in Class Discussions

Active participation in class discussions is one of the fastest ways to improve your spoken Chinese. Here are phrases organized by what you want to do in the conversation:

Expressing your opinion:

我觉得... (wǒ juéde...) — I think...
我认为... (wǒ rènwéi...) — I believe... (slightly more formal)
在我看来... (zài wǒ kàn lái...) — In my view...
我同意 (wǒ tóngyì) — I agree
我不太同意 (wǒ bú tài tóngyì) — I don't quite agree

Asking for clarification during discussion:

你能解释一下吗？(nǐ néng jiěshì yīxià ma?) — Can you explain a bit?
你的意思是...吗？(nǐ de yìsi shì... ma?) — Do you mean...?
能举个例子吗？(néng jǔ gè lìzi ma?) — Can you give an example?

Building on what someone else said:

我想补充一点 (wǒ xiǎng bǔchōng yīdiǎn) — I'd like to add something
另外... (lìngwài...) — In addition...
除了这个以外... (chúle zhège yǐwài...) — Besides this...

Even if your Chinese level is not advanced enough for full debates, using these phrases shows your teacher and classmates that you are engaged. Start with the simpler ones like 我觉得 and 我同意, then gradually add more complex expressions as your confidence grows. Remember that making mistakes during class discussions is expected and is actually one of the best ways to learn — your teacher will appreciate the effort far more than perfect silence.

Classroom vocabulary is your foundation for studying Chinese in any setting. For more learning resources, use our HSK Vocabulary Browser to see which classroom words appear on each exam level, and practice writing characters with our Practice Sheet Generator. If you're new to Chinese, start with our pinyin guide to nail pronunciation, then check out Chinese greetings for more conversation practice.