स्कूल
skūl/skuːl/masculine
In Hindi, the word for school can be expressed in several ways. The most common way to say school is स्कूल (skūl). Wiktionary also lists विद्यालय (vidyālay) and पाठशाला (pāṭhśālā).
Meaning: an institution dedicated to teaching and learning (noun)
Ways to say it
| Hindi | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| स्कूल | skūl | /skuːl/ (Hindi, Standard) | masculine |
| विद्यालय | vidyālay | /ʋɪd̪.jɑː.ləj/ (Hindi, Standard) | masculine |
| पाठशाला | pāṭhśālā | /pɑːʈʰ.ʃɑː.lɑː/ (Hindi, Standard) | feminine |
| गुरुकुल | gurukul | /ɡʊ.ɾʊ.kʊl/ (Hindi, Standard) | masculine |
The term refers to an institution dedicated to teaching and learning.
Which one should you use?
While विद्यालय and पाठशाला are formal Sanskrit-derived terms, स्कूल is a direct loanword from English and is the most common way to say 'school' in everyday conversation. गुरुकुल refers specifically to a traditional Indian residential school system where students live with their teacher (guru).
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The word विद्यालय is grammatically masculine and requires masculine verb agreements and adjectives. In contrast, पाठशाला is grammatically feminine and requires feminine verb agreements and adjectives. The loanword स्कूल is masculine.
How do you pronounce it?
skūl
Did you know?
- The word गुरुकुल is derived from गुरु, meaning 'teacher' and कुल, meaning 'family' or 'clan'.
- In traditional गुरुकुल systems, students often performed daily chores and manual labor as part of their holistic education, blurring the line between 'school' and life skills.
- While विद्यालय and पाठशाला both mean 'school', पाठशाला specifically emphasizes the act of reading or reciting lessons, as पाठ means 'lesson' or 'reading'.
Examples in context
- वह स्कूल में है।He's at school.This sentence is useful for stating a person's location using स्कूल.Tatoeba #7946519 by anushka, translation #7954904 by shekitten
- वह स्कूल जा रहा है।He is going to school.This sentence is useful for describing an action in progress using स्कूल.Tatoeba #12625881 by PrasantaHembram, translation #12826861 by Yepthatscool
- विद्यालय में सिर्फ सोलह प्रतिशत अध्यापक औरतें हैं।Only sixteen percent of the teachers at the school are female.This sentence is useful for providing statistics about a school using विद्यालय.Tatoeba #9844518 by anushka, translation #4763455 by garborg
- 64 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about their daily routine.
- पूजा Poojaआदित्य, क्या तुम स्कूल जा रहे हो?āditya, kyā tum skūl jā rahe ho?Aditya, are you going to school?
- आदित्य Adityaहाँ पूजा, मुझे स्कूल जाना है।hāṃ pūjā, mujhe skūl jānā hai.Yes Pooja, I have to go to school.
- पूजा Poojaतुम्हारा स्कूल कहाँ है?tumhārā skūl kahāṃ hai?Where is your school?
- आदित्य Adityaमेरा स्कूल शहर के बीच में है।merā skūl śahar ke bīc meṃ hai.My school is in the middle of the city.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “school” translations and entries स्कूल, विद्यालय, पाठशाला, गुरुकुल, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries गुरुकुल, पाठशाला, विद्यालय, स्कूल, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
