學

學 (Kangxi radical 39, 子+13, 16 strokes, cangjie input 竹月弓木 (HBND), four-corner 7740₇, composition ⿱𦥯子)

• 斅(𢽾) 斆(敩) 㙾(𰉽) 㩭(𫽊) 㰒 㶅 𠐮(𬾣) 𡄆 𡦰 𡦸 𢤾 𤒎(𤊀) 𤣌 𥗙 𧅷 𨯰 𪈔(𱊉) 𫦾 𭭗 𭯄

• 学 (Japanese shinjitai and Simplified Chinese)

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 280, character 28
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 7033
• Dae Jaweon: page 549, character 27
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 2, page 1019, character 11
• Unihan data for U+5B78

Historical forms of the character 學
Shang	Western Zhou	Warring States			Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)	Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Oracle bone script	Bronze inscriptions	Bronze inscriptions	Chu slip and silk script	Qin slip script	Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts

Ideogrammic compound (會意／会意) : abbreviated 敎 (“to teach”) + 𦥑 (“mingling hands; hands-on learning”) + 宀 (“house; roofed building”) – a child learns in a roofed place. See 敎／教 for more.

In the modern form, 宀 has corrupted to 冖 (“cover”), and the hands 𦥑 around the 爻 have become connected with the roof 冖 on top of the child 子. Ancient forms include 斆 and 斅, which preserve more of 敎. Shuowen regards 𦥑 as the phonetic component in the character, which may be true according to some Old Chinese reconstructions such as that of Pan Wuyun's, though probably not others.

The earliest oracle bone script forms may be a phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *ɡruːɡ) : semantic 爻 + phonetic 六 (OC *ruɡ).

May be an endopassive derivation of 覺 (OC *kruːɡs, *kruːɡ, “to awake, get insight”). Ultimately from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *kruk (“to rouse; to awaken; to disturb”).

學

1. ^† to comprehend; to realise; to understand
2. (transitive) to learn; to study
   • c. 475 - 221 BCE, Disciples of Confucius, 論語 [The Analects of Confucius]:

     學而時習之，不亦說乎？ [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     学而时习之，不亦说乎？ [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     Xué ér shí xí zhī, bù yì yuè hū? [Pinyin]

     Is it not pleasant to learn with a constant perseverance and application?

   學習／学习  ―  xuéxí  ―  to study; to learn

   我打算學攝影。／我打算学摄影。  ―  Wǒ dǎsuàn xué shèyǐng.  ―  I plan to learn photography.

   我父母親希望我學醫，但是我不願意。 [MSC, trad.]
   我父母亲希望我学医，但是我不愿意。 [MSC, simp.]

   Wǒ fùmǔqīn xīwàng wǒ xué yī, dànshì wǒ bù yuànyì. [Pinyin]

   My parents hoped I would study medicine, but I didn't want to.

   老師叫極佢都唔肯學講唔該。 [Cantonese, trad.]
   老师叫极佢都唔肯学讲唔该。 [Cantonese, simp.]

   lou⁵ si¹ giu³ gik⁶ keoi⁵ dou¹ m⁴ hang² hok⁶ gong² m⁴ goi¹. [Jyutping]

   He refuses to learn to say thank you, even though his teacher asked him many times.

3. to imitate; to copy; to mimic

   鸚鵡學人語。／鹦鹉学人语。  ―  Yīngwǔ xué rén yǔ.  ―  Parrots imitate human speech.

   我妹妹什麼都學我。 [MSC, trad.]
   我妹妹什么都学我。 [MSC, simp.]

   Wǒ mèimèi shénme dōu xué wǒ. [Pinyin]

   My little sister likes to copy everything I do.

   學人哋用叉食飯 [Cantonese, trad.]
   学人哋用叉食饭 [Cantonese, simp.]

   hok⁶ jan⁴ dei⁶ jung⁶ caa¹ sik⁶ faan⁶ [Jyutping]

   imitate others and use a fork to eat

4. school

   上學／上学  ―  shàngxué  ―  to go to school

   小學／小学  ―  xiǎoxué  ―  primary school

   學費／学费  ―  xuéfèi  ―  school fees

5. learning; knowledge

   求學／求学  ―  qiúxué  ―  to seek knowledge

   才疏學淺／才疏学浅  ―  cáishūxuéqiǎn  ―  to be of humble talent and shallow learning

   • c. 3rd century BCE, 荀子 [Xunzi], 荀子 [Xunzi]:

     君子曰：「學不可以已。」 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     君子曰：「学不可以已。」 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     Jūnzǐ yuē: “Xué bùkěyǐ yǐ.” [Pinyin]

     The gentleman says: "Learning must never stop."

6. theory; doctrine

   儒學／儒学  ―  rúxué  ―  Confucianism

7. subject; branch of learning; science; -ology

   化學／化学  ―  huàxué  ―  chemistry

   生物學／生物学  ―  shēngwùxué  ―  biology

   哲學／哲学  ―  zhéxué  ―  philosophy

8. (Cantonese) like; as

   學佢話齋／学佢话斋 [Cantonese]  ―  hok⁶ keoi⁵ waa⁶ zaai¹ [Jyutping]  ―  as he said

• 學習／学习 (xuéxí, “to study, to learn”)
• 讀書／读书 (dúshū, “to study”)
• 念書／念书 (niànshū, “(colloquial) to study”)

學

1. (obsolete) Alternative form of 斆／敩 (xiào, “to teach; to instruct; to train”)

   • 魯人有因子墨子而學其子者，其子戰而死，其父讓子墨子。子墨子曰：「子欲學子之子，今學成矣，戰而死，而子慍。」 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     鲁人有因子墨子而学其子者，其子战而死，其父让子墨子。子墨子曰：「子欲学子之子，今学成矣，战而死，而子愠。」 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Mozi, c. 4^th century BCE, translated based on Y. P. Mei's version

     Lǔ rén yǒu yīn Zǐ Mòzǐ ér xiào qí zǐ zhě, qí zǐ zhàn ér sǐ, qí fù ràng Zǐ Mòzǐ. Zǐ Mòzǐ yuē: “Zǐ yù xiào zǐ zhī zǐ, jīn xuéchéng yǐ, zhàn ér sǐ, ér zǐ yùn.” [Pinyin]

     There was a man in Lu who sent his son to Mozi to study. The son perished in a battle. The father blamed Mozi for it. Mozi said: "You wanted to have your son trained. Now he had completed his training and died in battle. And you become sore."

   • 凡學世子及學士，必時。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     凡学世子及学士，必时。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Book of Rites, c. 4^th – 2^nd century BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

     Fán xiào shìzǐ jí xiào shì, bì shí. [Pinyin]

     In teaching the heir-sons and young men, the subjects were different at different seasons.

   • 《兌命》曰：「學學半。」 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     《兑命》曰：「学学半。」 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Book of Rites, c. 4^th – 2^nd century BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

     “Yuèmìng” yuē: “Xiào xué bàn.” [Pinyin]

     It is said in the Charge to Yue, "Teaching is the half of learning."

學

1. Used in 學鳩／学鸠.

• Dictionary of Chinese Character Variants (教育部異體字字典), A01001
• “學”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎, 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–
• “Entry #11643”, in 臺灣閩南語常用詞辭典 [Dictionary of Frequently-Used Taiwan Minnan] (overall work in Mandarin and Hokkien), Ministry of Education, R.O.C., 2023.

(uncommon “Hyōgai” kanji, kyūjitai kanji, shinjitai form 学)

1. Kyūjitai form of 学
2. learning, knowledge, school

• Go-on: がく (gaku)
• Kan-on: かく (kaku)
• Kun: まなぶ (manabu, 學ぶ)

From Middle Chinese 學 (MC haewk).

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [ha̠k̚]
• Phonetic hangul: [학]

Wikisource 學 (eumhun 배울 학 (bae'ul hak))

1. Hanja form^? of 학 (“to learn, to study; to be taught”). [affix]
2. Hanja form^? of 학 (“-logy, -ics, -graphy, study of...”). [suffix]