作業 / 作业
zuòyè
The Chinese word for homework is 作業 / 作业 (zuòyè). Wiktionary also lists 家庭作業 / 家庭作业 (jiātíng zuòyè) and 功課 / 功课 (gōngkè).
Meaning: work that is done at home (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 作業 / 作业 | zuòyè |
| 家庭作業 / 家庭作业 | jiātíng zuòyè |
| 功課 / 功课 | gōngkè |
The term refers to work assigned to be completed at home. When you want to express the action of performing homework, you must use the verb 做 (to do) before the noun, resulting in 做作業 / 做功課.
Which one should you use?
作業 / 作业 is the standard term for homework. 功課 / 功课 is another common way to refer to schoolwork or homework. 家庭作業 / 家庭作业 specifically emphasizes work done at home.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
家庭作業 / 家庭作业 is a more formal way to say 'home assignment' or 'home-based work', frequently appearing in official school documents or educational contexts.
How do you pronounce it?
zuòyè
Did you know?
- In some regions, 做功課 can colloquially mean 'doing your research' or 'preparing' before a date or a business meeting, even if no actual paper is involved.
- While 作業 means 'homework' in a school context, it is also the standard term for an industrial 'operation' or a 'technical task' in engineering.
- The term 功課 / 功课 literally breaks down into 'merit' or 'achievement' and 'lesson', suggesting that schoolwork is a path toward building one's capabilities.
Examples in context
- 我有很多作业要做。I have a lot of homework to do.
- 请你完成明天的功课。Please complete tomorrow's homework.
- 我忘记带作业本了。I forgot to bring my homework book.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “homework” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
