n.
middle school student; secondary school student
中学生
Common Usage & Traps
- 一个中学生 — a middle school student
- 我是中学生 — I am a middle school student
- 不是中学生 — not a middle school student
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中学学生中学生Chinese compresses school levels into 小学生, 中学生, 大学生; 中学学生 sounds wordy and translation-like.
Why is it 中学生, not 中学学生?
Say 中学生, not 中学学生; the full 学生 gets dropped.
For school levels, Chinese usually uses [school] + 生. So 小学 becomes 小学生, 中学 becomes 中学生, and 大学 becomes 大学生. Saying 中学学生 sounds like a word-for-word English translation. “大学大学生， 中学中学生， 小学小学生。” (University students for university, middle school students for middle school, primary school students for primary school.) ── [《小大学和大小学》](/read/big-and-small-schools#s5)
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Everyday term | 他是中学生 | 他是中学学生 |
| School pattern | 小学生, 中学生, 大学生 | 小学学生, 中学学生, 大学学生 |
| Question | 你是中学生吗 | 你是中学学生吗 |
Does 中学生 mean middle school or high school?
中学生 covers both junior high and senior high in mainland China.
English middle school usually means grades 6 to 8. Chinese 中学 is a broader label for secondary school. A 中学生 can be in 初中 or 高中. If you mean US-style middle school only, say 初中生.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| General secondary | 他是中学生 | 中学生 only means grades 6-8 |
| US middle school only | 他是初中生 | 他是中学生 for grades 6-8 only |
| Senior high only | 他是高中生 | 他是中学生 for high school only |
Appears in Stories 2 stories
Real context sentences across different daily scenarios and graded readings.
This playful poem helps you count and practice vocabulary about clothes, students, and pets. Enjoy the rhythm while learning new words.
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三四个小学生，四五个 中学生 ，五六个大学生。
This playful reading contrasts small universities and big primary schools. You will practice basic words for school levels and sizes while enjoying a simple rhythmic verse.
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大学大学生，中学 中学生 ，小学小学生。
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