v.
to go to school; to attend school
上学
to go to school; to attend school
Literally 'go up to study' (上 attend + 学 school). To go to school or be enrolled as a student; say 孩子上学了.
Common Usage & Traps
- 去上学 — go to school
- 每天上学 — go to school every day
- 还在上学 — still be a student / still in school
- 上大学 — attend university
- 上课 — attend class / have class
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上学大学上大学上学 already means go to school. For university, you say 上大学, not 上学大学.
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我大学上学我在大学上学When you name the school as a place, put 在 before it. Without 在, the sentence sounds like a missing piece.
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我九点上学我九点上课For one class at nine, use 上课. 上学 sounds like the whole school day starts at nine.
Why does 去上学 sound better than 去学校 when a student is heading to class?
去上学 means going as a student; 去学校 just means going to a school building.
Both phrases can be correct, but they point at different ideas. 去学校 focuses on the building or location. 去上学 focuses on your role as a student and the school routine. When the person is a student going to class, 去上学 is the natural choice. When someone is just visiting the campus, 去学校 is fine. The old man in the story is sending the boy to class, so 上学 is exact.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Student going to class | 去上学 | 去学校 |
| Visitor going to campus | 去学校 | 去上学 |
| Command in the story | 去上学吧 | 去学校吧 (less exact here) |
Why is 我上大学 correct but 我上学大学 wrong?
上学 means go to school in general; you cannot put 大学 right after it.
For university, Chinese uses 上大学, not 上学大学. 上学 already carries the idea of attending school. So you do not add another school word after it. If you want to mention the place, put it before 上学 with 在. 我在大学上学 is fine. 我上大学 is the normal way to say I attend university. 我上学 alone often means I am a school student or I go to school.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| University | 我上大学 | 我上学大学 |
| Mention the place | 我在大学上学 | 我大学上学 |
Can you say 我明天九点上学 when you mean you have class at nine?
上学 is school as a student; 上课 is attending a specific class.
If you mean one class at a set time, use 上课. 我九点上课 means I have class at nine. 我九点上学 sounds like your school day starts at nine. 上学 describes the general act of going to school or being a student. It does not mean one lesson. A university student often says 我去上课, not 我去上学. Use 上学 for the whole school routine or student status.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| One class at nine | 我九点上课 | 我九点上学 |
| Student status | 我还在上学 | 我还在上课 (if you mean still in school) |
| In class right now | 我正在上课 | 我正在上学 |
Appears in Stories 4 stories
Real context sentences across different daily scenarios and graded readings.
In this warm dialogue, a parent introduces their family at a restaurant. A teacher gently corrects common mistakes about family words and names, making it perfect for HSK 2 learners.
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B：孩子们都 上学 了吧？
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小花明年 上学 。
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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学生都 上学 。
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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学生上学校，医生不 上学 。
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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老先生对高先明说：“去 上学 吧，上车。”
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高先明对安小语说：“去 上学 吧，上车。”
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