年级
niánjí
The phrase "grade level" in Chinese is 年级 (niánjí).
年级 is used to refer to the specific year of schooling a student is in. To specify a particular grade, you place the number directly before the phrase, such as 一年级 (yī niánjí) for first grade.
What does it mean word for word?
The term is composed of 年 (nián), meaning "year" and 级 (jí), meaning "level" or "rank".
How does it change in a sentence?
To ask which grade level someone is in, you can use the structure 几年级 (jǐ niánjí).
How do you pronounce it?
niánjí
Did you know?
- The character 级 (jí) is used both for school grades and for the levels of a video game character. In both cases, it implies a step-by-step progression upward.
- While English uses 'grade' for both a student's year and their test score, 年级 only refers to the year. To talk about a score, Chinese speakers use 成绩, which refers to 'achievement' or 'result'.
- In China, a student's identity is tied to both their 年级 (grade) and their 班 (class). A typical identification would be 三年级二班, meaning 'Grade 3, Class 2'.
Examples in context
- 我正在读二年级。I'm currently in the second grade.
- 这本书适合五年级的学生。This book is suitable for fifth-grade students.
- 我教六年级的学生数学。I teach math to sixth-grade students.
- 我妹妹现在在三年级。她的班级有很多好朋友。My younger sister is currently in the third grade. She has many good friends in her class.
- 他在三年级。He is in third grade.
- 他在几年级？Tā zài jǐ niánjí?What grade is he in?
- 我妹妹现在上三年级。Wǒ mèimei xiànzài shàng sān niánjí.My younger sister is in third grade now.
- 这个书包适合几年级的学生？Zhège shūbāo shìhé jǐ niánjí de xuésheng?What grade level is this backpack suitable for?
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about their younger siblings.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen你弟弟现在几年级了？Nǐ dìdi xiànzài jǐ niánjí le?What grade is your younger brother in now?
- 俊杰 Junjie他现在上五年级。Tā xiànzài shàng wǔ niánjí.He is in fifth grade now.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen哇，他长大了！Wa, tā zhǎngdà le!Wow, he has grown up!
- 俊杰 Junjie是啊，明年就要上六年级了。Shì a, míngnián jiù yào shàng liù niánjí le.Yeah, he will be in sixth grade next year.
