trường học
[t͡ɕɨəŋ˨˩ hawk͡p̚˧˨ʔ]
The English word 'school' is translated into Vietnamese as trường học. Wiktionary also lists trường.
Meaning: an institution dedicated to teaching and learning (noun)
Ways to say it
| Vietnamese | IPA |
|---|---|
| trường học | [t͡ɕɨəŋ˨˩ hawk͡p̚˧˨ʔ] (Hà Nội, narrow) [ʈɨəŋ˦˩ hawk͡p̚˨˩ʔ] (Huế, narrow) |
| trường | [t͡ɕɨəŋ˨˩] (Hà Nội, narrow) [ʈɨəŋ˦˩] (Huế, narrow) |
trường học is the general term for an institution dedicated to teaching and learning. While this is a common way to refer to a school, many specific types of schools are expressed by using trường followed by a specific noun. For example, Đại học means university and Tiểu học means primary school, while Trung học phổ thông means high school.
What does it mean word for word?
The term trường học is a compound word where trường means an institution or establishment and học means to study.
Which one should you use?
The word trường can stand alone as a shorthand for school, while trường học is a more complete, formal term.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
trường học is a formal and literary way to say school.
Did you know?
- In Vietnamese culture, students often refer to their teachers as thầy or cô instead of using their names, reflecting the high social status of the trường học environment.
- The word học in trường học is a very early loan from Chinese that entered Vietnamese before the corresponding sounds evolved into the modern forms used in Korean 학 (hak) and Japanese 学 (gaku).
- The word trường is a homophone with another word meaning 'long', and both share an ancestral root in the Chinese character 長.
Examples in context
- Trường học ở đâu?Where's the school?This sentence shows how to ask for the location of a trường.Tatoeba #13333753 by leucammieuvu, translation #13320607 by rul
- Đấy là trường tôi.That is my school.This sentence demonstrates how to identify a specific trường.Tatoeba #13896748 by leucammieuvu, translation #67127 by CK
- Tôi ghét đến trường.I hate going to school.This sentence expresses a feeling about going to a trường.Tatoeba #9778138 by dotheduyet1999, translation #6271794 by CK
- Tôi đang học ở trường học.I am studying at school.
- 101 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chi and Minh are discussing their education goals.
- ChiBạn muốn học ở trường học nào?Which school do you want to study at?
- MinhTôi muốn vào một trường học lớn.I want to enter a large school.
- ChiTrường học đó có nổi tiếng không?Is that school famous?
- MinhCó, đó là trường học tốt nhất thành phố.Yes, it is the best school in the city.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “school” translations and entries trường học, trường, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries học, trường, trường học, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
