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HSK 1

老师

teacher

nounneutral5 episodes
老
lǎo3rd tone
师
shī1st tone

HSK level

1
2
3
4
5
6
Pinyin
lǎoshī
Part of speech
noun
Level
HSK 1
Strokes
12
Register
neutral
Measure word
位 / 个
In episodes
5

Stroke order for 老师

老师 is written with 12 strokes (老: 6, 师: 6). The animation replays automatically.

What does 老师 mean?

老师 (lǎoshī) means 'teacher' — anyone who teaches at any level, from kindergarten to university.

The 老 here does NOT mean 'old'; it's an honorific prefix meaning 'respected / venerable,' the same 老 found in 老板 (boss) and 老朋友 (old friend). Two practical points English speakers miss: first, 老师 is a TITLE used like a name — you call your teacher '老师' directly, or '王老师' (Wang lǎoshī, Teacher Wang). Chinese never says 'Mr./Mrs.

+ surname' for teachers. Second, 老师 is gender-neutral; there's no 'Ms.' equivalent. University professors are usually still called 老师 in everyday speech, even though 教授 (jiàoshòu, professor) exists as a formal title.

Note: 老师 is also a respectful term of address — students call their teacher 老师 directly, or 王老师 (Teacher Wang), the way English speakers might say 'Professor Smith.' Chinese never uses 'Mr.' or 'Ms.' for teachers — always 老师.

Character by character

老lǎoold; respected; venerable (honorific prefix here, not 'old')
+
师shīmaster; teacher (also in 师父 master, 律师 lawyer)
=
老师

Memory hook: 老 (respected) + 师 (master) = the respected master = teacher.

Hear 老师 in real episodes

老师 appears in 5 Fluentide podcast episodes at natural native speed — each with the full Chinese script, pinyin, and line-by-line English translation.

New York Banned AI for 600,000 Schoolchildren — and the Loudest Critics Say It Didn't Go Far Enough老师 spoken at natural speedbeginnerAlaska's Senate Ballot Will List Two Men Named Dan Sullivan. The Only Thing Telling Them Apart Is One Middle Initial.老师 spoken at natural speednormalAlaska's Senate Ballot Will List Two Men Named Dan Sullivan. The Only Thing Telling Them Apart Is One Middle Initial.老师 spoken at natural speedmediumAlaska's Senate Ballot Will List Two Men Named Dan Sullivan. The Only Thing Telling Them Apart Is One Middle Initial.老师 spoken at natural speedbeginnerAlaska's Senate Ballot Will List Two Men Named Dan Sullivan. The Only Thing Telling Them Apart Is One Middle Initial.老师 spoken at natural speedeasy
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Example sentences

他是我的中文老师。

Tā shì wǒ de Zhōngwén lǎoshī.

He is my Chinese teacher.

neutral

老师好！

Lǎoshī hǎo!

Hello, teacher!

polite, spoken

王老师，这个字怎么读？

Wáng lǎoshī, zhè gè zì zěnme dú?

Teacher Wang, how do you read this character?

polite, spoken

我妈妈是老师。

Wǒ māma shì lǎoshī.

My mom is a teacher.

spoken

Common phrases with 老师

老师好lǎoshī hǎohello teacher (standard student greeting)
王老师Wáng lǎoshīTeacher Wang
中文老师Zhōngwén lǎoshīChinese (language) teacher
老师们lǎoshīmenteachers (plural)
当老师dāng lǎoshībe a teacher; work as a teacher

Synonyms

教师jiàoshī

教师 is the formal / written term for 'teacher' — used in job descriptions, news, official documents. You'd never call your own teacher 教师. 老师 is the everyday word and the form of address.

教授jiàoshòu

教授 is 'professor' — a specific academic rank. Most university instructors are still addressed as 老师 in conversation. Only address someone as 教授 if you know they hold that rank.

Don't confuse 老师 with

老板lǎobǎn

Same 老 prefix, different role. 老板 is 'boss / shop owner.' Don't call your teacher 老板.

师傅shīfu

师傅 is a master craftsman or skilled worker (mechanic, driver, chef). Same 师 character, but 师傅 implies trade skill, not academic teaching.

FAQ

Related words from the same episodes

帮to help答案answer电脑computer简单simple教to teach具体concrete, specific名字name纽约New York巧合coincidence同时at the same time, simultaneously想to think写to write

Acquire it by listening

Meet 老师 again — in real Chinese, at your level.

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