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HSK 1

学习

to study; to learn

verbneutral
学
xué2nd tone
习
xí2nd tone

HSK level

1
2
3
4
5
6
Pinyin
xuéxí
Part of speech
verb
Level
HSK 1
Strokes
11
Register
neutral

Stroke order for 学习

学习 is written with 11 strokes (学: 8, 习: 3). The animation replays automatically.

What does 学习 mean?

学习 (xuéxí) is the standard Chinese verb for 'to study' or 'to learn' — a disyllabic compound covering both the activity of studying and the process of acquiring a skill or knowledge.

It works as a verb (我学习中文 'I study Chinese') and as a noun (努力学习 'study hard'). Two distinctions matter for learners. First, vs the single character 学 (xué, also 'to study/learn'): 学 is shorter and more colloquial — 我学中文 sounds slightly more natural in speech than 我学习中文, which leans textbook-neutral.

Second, 学习 covers both 'studying' (sitting with a book) and 'learning' (acquiring through experience); English splits these, Chinese doesn't. The collocation 向…学习 ('learn from someone') is also common: 向老师学习 'learn from the teacher.'

Character by character

学xuéto study; to learn
+
习xíto practice; to review; habit
=
学习

Memory hook: 学 (study) + 习 (practice) — learning is studying plus practicing. The two-character compound captures both halves.

Example sentences

我每天学习中文。

Wǒ měi tiān xuéxí zhōngwén.

I study Chinese every day.

neutral

他很喜欢学习。

Tā hěn xǐhuan xuéxí.

He really enjoys studying.

spoken

学生应该好好学习。

Xuésheng yīnggāi hǎohao xuéxí.

Students should study hard.

neutral

你为什么学习汉语？

Nǐ wèi shénme xuéxí hànyǔ?

Why are you studying Chinese?

neutral

Common phrases with 学习

学习中文xuéxí zhōngwénstudy Chinese
好好学习hǎohao xuéxístudy hard / properly
学习汉语xuéxí hànyǔstudy Mandarin Chinese
努力学习nǔlì xuéxístudy hard / diligently
学习成绩xuéxí chéngjìacademic results / grades

Synonyms

学xué

学 is the single-character version — shorter, more conversational. 我学中文 sounds more like everyday speech; 我学习中文 reads slightly more formal or textbook. In practice both are correct.

念书niàn shū

念书 literally 'read books' and means 'to study (as in school).' Casual. 'How long have you been studying?' = 你念了几年书? 学习 is broader — you can 学习 a skill, but you 念书 for formal education.

Don't confuse 学习 with

学生xuésheng

学生 is the noun 'student' (the person). 学习 is the verb 'study' (the action). A 学生 学习 — a student studies.

练习liànxí

练习 means 'to practice / drill' — repeating something to improve. 学习 includes practice but also covers learning new material. 学习中文 = study Chinese broadly; 练习中文 = drill / practice Chinese.

FAQ

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