初中 meaning in English
junior high school (abbr. for 初級中學|初级中学[chu1 ji2 zhong1 xue2])
Meaning of 初中
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- junior high school (abbr. for 初級中學|初级中学[chu1 ji2 zhong1 xue2])
How to use 初中
初中 is the everyday word for the three years of school after primary school, roughly ages 12 to 15 in mainland China. It often appears with 上 (shàng) to say someone attends it. Example: 我弟弟在上初中。(Wǒ dìdi zài shàng chūzhōng.) My younger brother is in junior high.
初 (chū) means beginning or first, and 中 (zhōng) here is short for 中学 (zhōngxué), middle school. So 初中 is the first stage of middle school, which is junior high.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes use 中学 (zhōngxué) and 初中 as if they always mean the same thing. 中学 covers both junior and senior high, while 初中 is only the junior part. Also keep the first tone on 初 (chū), not the fourth tone of 处 (chù).
初中 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
初 chū · at first · 7 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
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- 7
中 zhōng · within · 4 strokes
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- 4
Related words
Words that share a character with 初中.
| 中国 | Zhōngguó | China |
| 中间 | zhōngjiān | the middle; the inside; in the middle; within; between; among |
| 中午 | zhōngwǔ | noon; midday |
| 中学 | zhōngxué | middle school |
| 中文 | Zhōngwén | Chinese language |
| 中学生 | zhōngxuéshēng | middle-school student; high school student |
| 其中 | qízhōng | among; in |
| 中心 | zhōngxīn | center; heart; core |
| 高中 | gāozhōng | senior high school (abbr. for 高級中學|高级中学[gao1 ji2 zhong1 xue2]) |
| 心中 | xīnzhōng | central point; in one's thoughts |
| 中年 | zhōngnián | middle age |
| 中餐 | zhōngcān | lunch; Chinese meal; Chinese food |
Questions about 初中
What does 初中 mean?
初中 (chūzhōng) means "junior high school (abbr. for 初級中學|初级中学[chu1 ji2 zhong1 xue2])" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 初中?
初中 is made of 2 characters: 初 (7 strokes), 中 (4 strokes). That is 11 strokes in total.
Is 初中 an HSK word?
Yes. 初中 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the word for senior high school if junior high is 初中?
Senior high school is 高中 (gāozhōng), short for 高级中学. 高 (gāo) means high, so 初中 and 高中 form a natural pair.
How do I say junior high student or a specific grade?
A junior high student is 初中生 (chūzhōngshēng). Grades are counted as 初一, 初二, 初三 (chū yī, chū èr, chū sān), meaning first, second and third year of junior high.