Speak Up in Class: Essential Chinese Classroom & School Vocabulary (A1)

Ever wanted to talk about your school day in Chinese? In this A1-friendly guide, you’ll learn the must-know classroom and school words, simple sentence patterns, and cultural notes to help you describe where you are, what you have, and what you do in class. Practice as you go with short exercises!

Places and people you see at school

Let’s start with the basics: where you are and who is there.

  • 在 + place: “to be at/in” a place
  • 里 (lǐ): inside

Use 在 to say where you are, and add 里 to show “inside” a place.

教室 jiàoshì
classroom
noun
我在教室。
I am in the classroom.
学校 xuéxiào
school
noun
我的学校很大。
My school is big.
老师 lǎoshī
teacher
noun
他是我们的老师。
He is our teacher.
学生 xuéshēng
student
noun
我们是学生。
We are students.
Mandarin
我在学校上课。
I have class at school.

我们在上课。

学 to study 校 school → 学校 compound: school
教 to teach 室 room → 教室 compound: classroom

Things in the classroom

Chinese uses measure words (like “a sheet of paper,” “a piece of chalk”). Learn the most useful ones for classroom items.

课本 kèběn
textbook
noun
这是我的课本。
This is my textbook.
书包 shūbāo
schoolbag
noun
她的书包很重。
Her schoolbag is heavy.
桌子 zhuōzi
desk/table
noun
教室里有很多桌子。
There are many desks in the classroom.
椅子 yǐzi
chair
noun
每个学生有一把椅子。
Each student has a chair.
笔 bǐ
pen; writing instrument
noun
我有两支笔。
I have two pens.
铅笔 qiānbǐ
pencil
noun
请给我一支铅笔。
Please give me a pencil.
橡皮 xiàngpí
eraser
noun
你有橡皮吗？
Do you have an eraser?

我有两课本。

请拿一铅笔。

教室里有三椅子。

Mandarin
我们有一间新的教室。
We have a new classroom.
作 to do/make 业 work/task → 作业 homework

Classes, actions, and your daily routine

Here are key verbs and nouns to talk about lessons and what you do.

课 kè
class; lesson
noun
今天有四节课。
We have four lessons today.
上课 shàngkè
to attend/start class
verb
八点上课。
Class starts at eight.
下课 xiàkè
class ends; to finish class
verb
十点下课。
Class ends at ten.
上学 shàngxué
to go to school
verb
我七点上学。
I go to school at seven.
放学 fàngxué
school is over; to leave school
verb
我们三点放学。
We finish school at three.
作业 zuòyè
homework
noun
我回家做作业。
I do homework when I get home.
休息 xiūxi
to rest; break
verb/noun
下课后休息十分钟。
After class, we rest for ten minutes.
Mandarin
我们今天有三节课。
We have three classes today.
🔠 Put the words in order

Put subject first, then 在 + place, then the action.

Mini classroom conversation

Put phrases together. Reorder the lines to make a natural teacher-student exchange.

💬 Teacher–student in class

Common mistakes to avoid

我在教室是学习。 → 我在教室学习。 In Chinese, don’t use 是 before a verb phrase like 学习 in this pattern. 一个书。 → 一本书。 Books use the measure word 本, not 个. 两个人椅子。 → 两把椅子。 Chairs use 把. 个 is not natural here.

Quick check: Can you choose the right words?

🧠 Classroom Essentials

Culture notes: talking about the school day

  • 节 (jié) is the common way to count class periods: 第一节课 (first period), 第二节课 (second period).
  • Breaks are often called 休息 (xiūxi). Many schools have short breaks between periods.
  • Teachers may greet the class with “同学们好！” and students reply “老师好！”

Listen for these in real classrooms or school videos.

Wrap-up and practice

You learned core school words (教室, 学校, 老师, 学生), classroom items (课本, 笔, 椅子, 桌子), and daily actions (上课, 下课, 上学, 放学, 做作业). You practiced measure words like 本, 支, 张, 把, 间, and 节, and sentence patterns with 在, 有, and 的.

Try this: describe your classroom in 3 short sentences.

  • 我在教室学习。
  • 教室里有很多椅子和桌子。
  • 我有一本课本和两支笔。

Keep noticing measure words in context, and you’ll sound natural fast. 加油！ (You’ve got this!)