学學 xué — to study, to learn; learning, a field of study; school (in 学校)
xué (second tone, rising)
Traditional: 學
to study, to learn; learning, a field of study; school (in 学校)
8 strokesRadical 子Frequency #45
Pinyin
- xué (second tone, rising)
to study, to learn; learning, a field of study; school (in 学校)
Character breakdown
Ideographic description
⿳⺍冖子The sequence reads left to right and describes how the parts are arranged.
- ⺍shape partno entry yetThree short strokes, all that survives of the two hands 𦥑 holding crossed tally sticks 爻 at the top of the traditional 學.
- 冖shape partno entry yetA cover — the roof of the room where the teaching happens.
- 子meaning partThe child being taught; the character is filed under this radical.
Mnemonic
Read it from the bottom up: a child 子 under a roof 冖, and above the roof a pair of hands. The traditional 學 shows the scene in full — two hands working crossed tally sticks over a child indoors — and the simplified 学 keeps those hands as three short strokes. 学生 is the child under the roof; 学校 is the roof itself.
A memory aid written by HSK Guide editors. It is not an etymology and does not describe the historical origin of the character.
Words containing 学
- 学习學習xuéxí (second tone, rising)to study, to learn
- 学校學校xuéxiào (second tone, rising)school
- 学生學生xuésheng (second tone, rising)student, pupil
- 科学科學kēxué (first tone, high and level)science; scientific, rational
- 同学同學tóngxué (second tone, rising)classmate, fellow student
- 数学數學shùxué (fourth tone, falling)mathematics, maths
- 留学留學liúxué (second tone, rising)to study abroad