Ways to say it
| Bengali | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| বিদ্যালয় | biddaloẏ | /bid̪ːalɔe̯/ | |
| মকতব | moktob | /mɔkt̪ɔb/ /mɔkt̪ob/ |
|
| মাদ্রাসা | madraśa | ||
| পাঠশালা | paṭhśala | /paʈʰʃala/ /patʰʃala/ |
|
| স্কুল | skul | /skul/ | |
| ইস্কুল | iskul | /iʃkul/ /iskul/ |
alternative form |
The term for an institution dedicated to teaching and learning can vary depending on the context and the type of education being provided.
What does it mean word for word?
The traditional word পাঠশালা is a compound of paṭh, meaning to read or study and śālā, meaning room or place, literally translating to a reading room or a place for studying.
Which one should you use?
While biddaloẏ is a general term for a school, madraśa specifically refers to an Islamic educational institution. For a more specific religious context, moktob refers to a primary level religious school, often used for teaching the Quran, whereas madraśa usually implies a higher level of religious education. The English loanword skul is also used, and iskul is an alternative spelling of it.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
biddaloẏ is the formal, Sanskrit-derived term used in textbooks, official documents and formal speech. In everyday spoken Bengali, the English loanword skul is the most common way to say school. The term শিক্ষা প্রতিষ্ঠান can be used to mean educational institution in a formal context.
How does it change in a sentence?
To say 'to school' or 'at school', the locative case is used by adding the suffix '-e' to the word 'skul', resulting in স্কুলে.
How do you pronounce it?
biddaloẏ (/bid̪ːalɔe:/)
Did you know?
- The word ইস্কুল is a phonetic adaptation of 'school' where a vowel is added to the beginning because Bengali words typically cannot start with a consonant cluster like 'sk'.
- In historical পাঠশালা settings, the teacher was often called a গুরু and students would sit on the floor in a circle, a custom that influenced the layout of early village education.
- The formal word বিদ্যালয় is a compound where বিদ্যা means 'knowledge' and আলয় means 'abode' or 'house', making the word literally 'the house of knowledge'.
Examples in context
- আমি হেঁটে স্কুলে যাই।I go to school on foot.This sentence is useful for describing how you travel to school using the form স্কুল.Tatoeba #3770341 by tanay, translation #261668 by CK
- ইস্কুল কালকে শুরু হবে।School begins tomorrow.This sentence is useful for stating when school begins using the form ইস্কুল.Tatoeba #5611265 by tanay, translation #21509 by CK
- আমি স্কুলে যেতে চাই না।I don't want to go to school.This sentence is useful for expressing a desire regarding school using the form স্কুল.Tatoeba #3633433 by robingaspi, translation #1860 by CK
- 25 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Akash and Moumita are talking about the location of a local school.
- আকাশ Akashএই বিদ্যালয়টি খুব বড়।Ei biddalayti khub boro.This school is very big.
- মৌমিতা Moumitaহ্যাঁ, অনেক ছাত্র এখানে পড়ে।He, onek chatro ekhane pore.Yes, many students study here.
- আকাশ Akashতুমি কি এই বিদ্যালয়ে পড়ো?Tumi ki ei biddalaye poro?Do you study at this school?
- মৌমিতা Moumitaনা, আমার বিদ্যালয়টি অন্য জায়গায়।Na, amar biddalayti onno jaygay.No, my school is in another place.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “school” translations and entries বিদ্যালয়, মকতব, মাদ্রাসা, পাঠশালা, স্কুল, ইস্কুল, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
