高考 meaning in English
college entrance exam (especially as abbr. for 普通高等學校招生全國統一考試|普通高等学校招生全国统一考试[Pu3 tong1 Gao1 deng3 Xue2 xiao4 Zhao1 sheng1 Quan2 guo2 Tong3 yi1 Kao3 shi4]); (Tw) entrance exam for senior government service posts (abbr. for 公務人員高等考試|公务人员高等考试)
Meaning of 高考
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- college entrance exam (especially as abbr. for 普通高等學校招生全國統一考試|普通高等学校招生全国统一考试[Pu3 tong1 Gao1 deng3 Xue2 xiao4 Zhao1 sheng1 Quan2 guo2 Tong3 yi1 Kao3 shi4])
- (Tw) entrance exam for senior government service posts (abbr. for 公務人員高等考試|公务人员高等考试)
How to use 高考
In mainland China, 高考 means the national college entrance exam taken at the end of 高中 (gāozhōng, senior high school), usually in early June. People often say 参加高考 (cānjiā gāokǎo, to take the gaokao). Example: 我弟弟今年参加高考。(Wǒ dìdi jīnnián cānjiā gāokǎo.) My younger brother is taking the college entrance exam this year.
高考 is short for 高等学校招生考试, so think of 高 (gāo) as the "higher" in higher education and 考 (kǎo) as the test. It is the big exam that lets you climb up into university.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes use 高考 for any hard or advanced test, but it refers specifically to the college entrance exam. For a general exam, use 考试 (kǎoshì). Also keep both syllables clear: gāo is first tone and kǎo is third tone, so do not flatten kǎo into kāo.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
高 gāo · high · 10 strokes
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考 kǎo · to check · 6 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 高考.
| 高兴 | gāoxìng | happy; glad |
| 考试 | kǎoshì | to take an exam; exam |
| 高中 | gāozhōng | senior high school (abbr. for 高級中學|高级中学[gao1 ji2 zhong1 xue2]) |
| 提高 | tígāo | to raise; to increase |
| 高级 | gāojí | high level; high grade |
| 考生 | kǎoshēng | exam candidate; student whose name has been put forward for an exam |
| 考验 | kǎoyàn | to test; to put to the test |
| 高速公路 | gāosù gōnglù | expressway; highway; freeway |
| 高速 | gāosù | high speed; expressway (abbr. for 高速公路[gao1 su4 gong1 lu4]) |
| 跳高 | tiàogāo | (athletics) high jump |
| 考虑 | kǎolǜ | to think over; to consider |
| 思考 | sīkǎo | to reflect on; to ponder over |
Questions about 高考
What does 高考 mean?
高考 (gāokǎo) means "college entrance exam (especially as abbr. for 普通高等學校招生全國統一考試|普通高等学校招生全国统一考试[Pu3 tong1 Gao1 deng3 Xue2 xiao4 Zhao1 sheng1 Quan2 guo2 Tong3 yi1 Kao3 shi4]); (Tw) entrance exam for senior government service posts (abbr. for 公務人員高等考試|公务人员高等考试)" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 高考?
高考 is made of 2 characters: 高 (10 strokes), 考 (6 strokes). That is 16 strokes in total.
Is 高考 an HSK word?
Yes. 高考 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the word for a student taking the gaokao?
Use 考生 (kǎoshēng), which means exam candidate. For gaokao takers you can also say 高考生 (gāokǎoshēng).
Does 高考 mean the same thing in Taiwan?
Not usually. In Taiwan, 高考 commonly refers to the senior civil service entrance exam, short for 公务人员高等考试. The university entrance exams there have different names.