School and Free Time Vocabulary
Ever wondered how to talk about your school day in Mandarin? This vocabulary list gives you all the basics you need. 学校 (xué xiào) means school, whilst 图书馆 (tú shū guǎn) is library and 教室 (jiào shì) is classroom.
When discussing subjects, 中文 (zhōng wén) means Mandarin, 历史 (lì shǐ) is history, and 体育 (tǐ yù) is PE. Your 老师 (lǎo shī) is your teacher. These are the core words you'll use constantly when chatting about school life.
For expressing preferences, 最喜欢 (zuì xǐ huan) means favourite, whilst 不喜欢 (bù xǐ huan) shows dislike. 小学 (xiǎo xué) refers to primary school, which helps when talking about your past experiences.
Free time activities include 看书 (kàn shū) for reading books, 做作业 (zuò zuò yè) for doing homework, 休息 (xiū xi) for taking a break, 玩游戏 (wán yóu xì) for playing games, and 听音乐 (tīng yīn yuè) for listening to music.
Quick Tip: Practice these vocabulary words daily by labelling items around your school or describing your timetable in Mandarin!
Future plans vocabulary includes 以后 (yǐ hòu) meaning "in the future", 大学 (dà xué) for university, and 上大学 (shàng dà xué) meaning "go to university". 想 (xiǎng) means "want to", 教中文 (jiào zhōng wén) means "teach Mandarin", and 做义工 (zuò yì gōng) means "do volunteer work".