How do you say "classmate" in Chinese?

同学

tóng xué

Noun Hanzi

In Chinese, "classmate" is 同学 (tóng xué).

Listen to the pronunciation:

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Pronunciation

You'll want to say "tóng xué" so that "tóng" is rising sharply like a question (tone 2), then "xué" is rising sharply like a question (tone 2).

Writing and usage

同学 is written using hanzi. It's a noun, part of the vocabulary taught in the Noun Town language learning game.

Example sentence

同学借给我一支铅笔。

tóng xué jiè gěi wǒ yī zhī qiān bǐ 。

My classmate lent me a pencil.

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How to remember 同学

Link the sound of "tóng xué" to something in English that it faintly echoes, then picture that image next to "同学" (tóng xué).

Related words

Browse all Chinese words in the glossary.

Questions about 同学

How do you pronounce 同学?

You'll want to say "tóng xué" so that "tóng" is rising sharply like a question (tone 2), then "xué" is rising sharply like a question (tone 2).

Is 同学 formal or casual?

同学 is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech.

How is 同学 used in Chinese?

同学 is used the same way as the equivalent English noun. For example: 同学借给我一支铅笔。 (My classmate lent me a pencil.).

Where can I practice Chinese words for free?

You can play free Chinese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, no sign-up required. Every word in the Chinese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.

"Classmate" in other languages

Curated by Jack Ratcliffe

This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the Chinese language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation. Want to play the full game? Get Noun Town on Steam.

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