学
学 in useful words
Learn the character in complete words, because its pronunciation can change with context. Read each word aloud, connect it with the meaning, and then cover the reading to test yourself.
- 学ぶまなぶ
- to learn
- 学生がくせい
- student
- 学校がっこう
- school
Reading 学 in context
Compare 学ぶ (まなぶ, to learn) with 学生 (がくせい, student). The verb uses まな; the compound uses がく. In 学校 (がっこう, school), がく changes to がっ before こう.
Try it in a sentence
Practice sentence written for this site.
学校で日本語を学びます。
がっこうで にほんごを まなびます。
I study Japanese at school.
Watch for this: 学校 is がっこう, with a small っ. Do not read it as がくこう. 学びます keeps the まな reading from 学ぶ.
Check yourself: Read 学生 and 学びます. Which reading of 学 does each use?
学生: がくせい (がく). 学びます: まなびます (まな).
The compound and the verb use different readings. Learn each as a word rather than giving 学 one fixed sound.
Choose your next practice
For reading, cover a word’s pronunciation and recall it before checking. For handwriting, hide the stroke diagram and write the character from memory. An isolated reading list is a reference; the word determines which sound you need.