v.
to attend class; to give a lesson
上课
Common Usage & Traps
- 去上课 — go to class
- 上中文课 — attend Chinese class
- 上课的时候 — during class
- 开始上课 — start class
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上课中文上中文课The type of class goes before 课, not after 上课.
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上课大学去大学上课 / 在大学上课大学 is a place. Use 去 or 在 before the place, not after 上课.
Does 上课 mean the student attends class or the teacher teaches class?
上课 is not one job: students attend class, teachers teach class.
With no person in front, 上课 can mean either the student or the teacher is doing it. 老师上课 means the teacher is teaching a class right now. 学生上课 means the student is attending a class as a learner. The person in front tells you which role is active in that sentence.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Teacher meaning | 老师上课 | 老师上课 = attends (wrong reading) |
| Student meaning | 学生上课 | 学生上课 = teaches (wrong reading) |
| Context clue | 王老师上课 | 王老师上课 = student (wrong reading) |
Does 上课了 mean 'class started' or 'I attended class'?
上课了 usually means class has started, not 'I attended class'.
上课了 usually announces that class has started or is about to start. 我上了课 means I attended a class and the class happened. If you want to say you finished class, use 我上完课了 instead.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Class starts | 上课了！ | 上了课！ (for class starts) |
| I attended | 我上了课 | 我上课了 (for attended) |
| I finished | 我上完课了 | 我上课完了 |
Why do Chinese people say 上中文课, not 上课中文?
Say 上中文课, never 上课中文; the class type goes before 课.
上课 is built from 上 + 课, so the type of class goes before 课. You say 上中文课, 上数学课, or 上他的课 in normal conversation. 上课中文 sounds like you stuck the class type after a finished phrase.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Chinese class | 上中文课 | 上课中文 |
| Math class | 上数学课 | 上课数学 |
| His class | 上他的课 | 上课他的 |
Do you say 去大学上课 or 在大学上课?
Use 去 for going to class, 在 for having class at a place.
去大学上课 means you are going to the university to attend class. 在大学上课 means your class happens at the university, not somewhere else. Both are correct, but they answer different questions about movement and location. Dropping 去 or 在 usually makes the sentence sound broken to native ears.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Going to class | 去大学上课 | 大学上课 (as a full sentence) |
| Location of class | 在大学上课 | 大学上课 (as a full sentence) |
| Asking where | 你在哪儿上课？ | 你哪儿上课？ |
Appears in Stories 2 stories
Real context sentences across different daily scenarios and graded readings.
This playful poem will make you smile as you explore how Chinese words like 'computer' and 'phone' can be funnier than they seem. Get ready to enjoy simple HSK 1 vocabulary and a twist of logic!
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上班和下班， 上课 和下课，上午和下午。
This heartwarming story shows how a small act of kindness can be passed on. Follow Gao Xianming as he learns an important lesson about generosity in his new city.
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他要去大学 上课 。
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