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China’s school system in Chinese
China’s school system by age
| In Chinese | Ages | Years | Ends with | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 幼儿园 yòu’éryuán | 3 to 6 | 3 | — |
| Primary school | 小学 xiǎoxué | 6 to 12 | 6: 一年级 to 六年级 | — |
| Junior high | 初中 chūzhōng | 12 to 15 | 3: 初一 to 初三 | 中考 zhōngkǎo |
| Senior high | 高中 gāozhōng | 15 to 18 | 3: 高一 to 高三 | 高考 gāokǎo |
| University | 本科 běnkē | 18 to 22 | 4, for a 学士 | — |
| Master’s | 硕士 shuòshì | 22 and up | 2 to 3 | — |
| Doctorate | 博士 bóshì | 25 and up | 3 to 4 or more | — |
Stages of school
幼儿园
kindergarten
学前班
preschool class; kindergarten
小学
elementary school; primary school
初中
junior high school; middle school
高中
high school; senior middle school
中学
middle school; high school
职高
vocational high school (short for 职业高中)
大学
university; college
大专
junior college; three-year college
Grades
年级
grade; year (in school)
一年级
first grade; first year (of school)
初一
first year of junior high school; seventh grade
高三
third year of senior high school; twelfth grade
Exams
考试
exam; examination
中考
senior high school entrance exam
高考
college entrance exam (in China) (short for 高等学校招生考试)
成绩
grades; results
分数
score; grade
录取
to admit (students); to enroll
志愿
choice of college (on an application form)
补习班
cram school; tutoring class
Degrees
本科
undergraduate (course); bachelor's degree
学士
bachelor (degree)
研究生
graduate student; postgraduate
硕士
master's degree
博士
doctor; PhD
博士后
postdoc; postdoctoral
学位
academic degree
文凭
diploma
毕业
to graduate
School life
班主任
homeroom teacher; head teacher (of a class)
学期
semester; term
寒假
winter vacation
暑假
summer vacation
作业
homework; assignment
校服
school uniform
学生证
student ID card
义务教育
compulsory education
留学
to study abroad
留学生
overseas student; international student
How does the Chinese school system work?
Children go to 幼儿园 (yòu’éryuán), kindergarten, from 3, then six years of 小学 (xiǎoxué), primary school, from 6, and three of 初中 (chūzhōng), junior high. Those nine years are free and compulsory, 义务教育 (yìwù jiàoyù), by a law of 1986. Then the 中考 (zhōngkǎo) decides who goes on to 高中 (gāozhōng), senior high, and who to a vocational school, 职高 (zhígāo); senior high ends with the 高考 (gāokǎo) and university.
What grade is my child in China?
Grades are counted within each school: 一年级 (yī niánjí) to 六年级 is grades 1 to 6 of primary; 初一, 初二 and 初三 (chū yī, chū èr, chū sān) are grades 7 to 9; and 高一 to 高三 (gāo yī to gāo sān) are grades 10 to 12. A few places, such as Shanghai, have five years of primary and four of junior high.
What is the gaokao?
高考 (gāokǎo), short for 高等学校招生考试, is the national college entrance exam, taken at the end of 高三 in early June. In most provinces it is scored out of 750: 语文 (yǔwén), Chinese, maths and a foreign language are 150 each, and the subjects a student chooses make up the other 300. The score alone decides which universities will take you, so students list their choices, 志愿 (zhìyuàn), after the results.
What are Chinese university degrees called?
A bachelor’s degree is 本科 (běnkē), four years for a 学士 (xuéshì) degree; a three-year junior college course is 大专 (dàzhuān). A graduate student is a 研究生 (yánjiūshēng): a master’s is 硕士 (shuòshì) and a PhD 博士 (bóshì). A degree is 学位 (xuéwèi) and a diploma 文凭 (wénpíng).
What is the school year in China?
Two terms, 学期 (xuéqī): the first from September to January, the second from February or March to July, with the winter break 寒假 (hánjià) over Chinese New Year and the summer break 暑假 (shǔjià) in July and August. Each class has a 班主任 (bānzhǔrèn), a head teacher, and most pupils wear a 校服 (xiàofú), a school tracksuit.
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More for school in Chinese
Words, pinyin and meanings from our own dictionary; ages, years and gaokao scores from Wikipedia’s Education in China and Gaokao, and they vary by province.