v.
To gain knowledge or skills by being taught and then practicing. To study, learn, imitate, or master something new.
学
Common Usage & Traps
- 学汉语 — to study Chinese
- 学英语 — to study English
- 学中文 — to study Chinese
- 学车 — to learn to drive
- 学做饭 — to learn to cook
- 学游泳 — to learn to swim
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学习书看书 / 读书学习 does not take physical objects like books. You 看书 or 读书.
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学习车学车For practical skills, 学 forms tight everyday phrases. 学习车 sounds like you are studying a car as a subject.
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学一个汉语学汉语Languages are not counted with 一个 when you talk about studying them.
When is 学 enough and when is 学习 required?
Use 学 for casual concrete skills; use 学习 when it stands alone or sounds formal.
学 is the casual everyday verb. It takes short, concrete objects like languages and skills: 学汉语, 学车, 学做饭. 学习 is more formal. It can stand alone as in 我在学习, and it shows up in phrases like 好好学习 or 学习环境. In casual talk, 学习汉语 is not wrong, but it sounds like a textbook title. Use 学汉语 with friends.
“他学英语，我学汉语。” (He studies English, and I study Chinese.)
“他学英语，我学汉语。” (He studies English, and I study Chinese.)
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Casual talk about a language | 学汉语 | 学习汉语 (stiff in chat) |
| Formal writing or school setting | 学习汉语 | 学汉语 (too casual) |
| Practical skill | 学车 | 学习车 |
| Book as object | 看书 / 读书 | 学习书 |
Can you answer 你干嘛呢 with just 我学?
No. 我学 alone sounds cut off; say 我在学习 or 我在学汉语.
学习 can stand alone when someone asks what you are doing. 学 usually needs an object or a clear context to sound complete. If a friend texts 你干嘛呢, answer 我在学习 or 我在学汉语. You can say 我学 only when answering a yes-no question like 你学汉语吗. In that case, 我学 means 'I do' and the object is already known.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Reply to 你干嘛呢 | 我在学习 | 我学 |
| Sentence with object | 我学汉语 | 我学 |
| Standalone with no object | 我在学习 | 我学 |
Why is 学习车 wrong when 学车 is right?
学车 is a tight everyday phrase; 学习车 sounds like studying a car as a subject.
For practical skills, 学 often forms short, fixed phrases: 学车, 学游泳, 学做饭. 学习 is heavier and more formal, so it does not fit these tight phrases. If you want the longer verb, say 学习开车, not 学习车. The action 开车 is what you study, not the car itself.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Learn to drive | 学车 | 学习车 |
| Learn driving full action | 学习开车 | 学习车 |
| Learn to cook | 学做饭 | 学习饭 |
| Learn cooking full action | 学习做饭 | 学习饭 |
Appears in Stories 4 stories
Real context sentences across different daily scenarios and graded readings.
Is four years to reach HSK 5 fast or slow? Follow a conversation between two learners as they compare study hours and share realistic strategies for busy adults.
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A：你在 学 什么？
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B：我在 学 汉语和中文。
Join a beginner as they ask a Chinese friend to teach them how to cook. This simple HSK 1 dialogue shows that learning one dish at a time is the best way to start.
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小米问我，我想 学 做什么菜。
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我说，我想 学 做中国菜。
Meet Gao Youpeng, a friendly Beijing coworker who welcomes the narrator with local dishes and a simple language-exchange plan. This warm HSK 2 story is perfect for first readings about work and friendship.
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他 学 英语，我 学 汉语。
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我教他英文，他教我中文，每天 学 几个词，很快，我们的英语和汉语都能好很多。
Chat about where friends study Chinese while exploring 哪儿 and 哪里 across Beijing and Shanghai. Practice asking “where”, talking about “here” and “there”, and using the modest reply 哪里哪里 to accept a compliment.
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你在哪儿 学 汉语？
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老包：我在上海 学 汉语。
Questions & Discussion 0 questions
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