Chinese Campus & Study Abroad Phrases — 校园 and 留学 Mandarin for Students

Campus life starts with the core nouns: 大学 (dà xué) university, 学校 (xué xiào) school, 学院 (xué yuàn) college/institute, 教学楼 (jiào xué lóu) teaching building, 图书馆 (tú shū guǎn) library, 宿舍 (sù shè) dormitory, 食堂 (shí táng) canteen, 教室 (jiào shì) classroom, 操场 (cāo chǎng) sports ground. A key distinction: 大学 is a full university while 学院 is often a smaller college or a school/department within a university, so 外国语学院 is the School of Foreign Languages inside a 大学.

Useful phrases: 我在北京大学学习 (wǒ zài Běi jīng dà xué xué xí) — I study at Peking University, 这是我的校园卡 (zhè shì wǒ de xiào yuán kǎ) — this is my campus card, 图书馆几点关门 (tú shū guǎn jǐ diǎn guān mén) — what time does the library close?

When you arrive, you 报到 (bào dào) register/enroll, 注册 (zhù cè) register formally, and pay 学费 (xué fèi) tuition and 住宿费 (zhù sù fèi) accommodation fee. Course selection uses 选课 (xuǎn kè) choose courses, 必修课 (bì xiū kè) compulsory course, 选修课 (xuǎn xiū kè) elective, 学分 (xué fēn) credit, and 专业 (zhuān yè) major.

Practical sentences: 我想选这门课 (wǒ xiǎng xuǎn zhè mén kè) — I want to choose this course, 这门课有几个学分 (zhè mén kè yǒu jǐ ge xué fēn) — how many credits is this course, 我的专业是经济 (wǒ de zhuān yè shì jīng jì) — my major is economics, 请问去哪里报到 (qǐng wèn qù nǎ lǐ bào dào) — where do I register?

Classroom language is the fastest way to feel comfortable. Common phrases: 上课 (shàng kè) to have class, 下课 (xià kè) to finish class, 老师 (lǎo shī) teacher, 同学 (tóng xué) classmate, 举手 (jǔ shǒu) raise your hand, 提问 (tí wèn) ask a question, 作业 (zuò yè) homework, 考试 (kǎo shì) exam, 成绩 (chéng jì) grade, 论文 (lùn wén) thesis/paper.

When you miss something: 我听不懂 (wǒ tīng bu dǒng) — I do not understand, 请再说一遍 (qǐng zài shuō yī biàn) — please say it again, 可以说慢一点吗 (kě yǐ shuō màn yī diǎn ma) — can you speak a little slower, 这个字是什么意思 (zhè ge zì shì shén me yì si) — what does this character mean? To ask for help from a teacher or classmate: 可以请教一下吗 (kě yǐ qǐng jiào yī xià ma) — may I ask you something, 你能帮我看看吗 (nǐ néng bāng wǒ kàn kan ma) — can you help me check this?

As an international student you are a 留学生 (liú xué shēng). Useful terms: 签证 (qiān zhèng) visa, 居留许可 (jū liú xǔ kě) residence permit, 奖学金 (jiǎng xué jīn) scholarship, 汉语 (hàn yǔ) Chinese language, 汉语水平考试 (hàn yǔ shuǐ píng kǎo shì) HSK, 语言伙伴/语伴 (yǔ yán huǒ bàn / yǔ bàn) language partner, 国际学生办公室 (guó jì xué shēng bàn gōng shì) international student office.

Useful sentences: 我是留学生 (wǒ shì liú xué shēng) — I am an international student, 我想申请奖学金 (wǒ xiǎng shēn qǐng jiǎng xué jīn) — I want to apply for a scholarship, 我在准备HSK考试 (wǒ zài zhǔn bèi HSK kǎo shì) — I am preparing for the HSK exam, 我想找一个语伴 (wǒ xiǎng zhǎo yī ge yǔ bàn) — I want to find a language partner. To talk about your level: 我的汉语水平是初级 (wǒ de hàn yǔ shuǐ píng shì chū jí) — my Chinese level is beginner.

Daily life vocabulary: 室友 (shì yǒu) roommate, 食堂 (shí táng) canteen, 点外卖 (diǎn wài mài) order takeout, 社团 (shè tuán) student club, 学生会 (xué shēng huì) student union, 兼职 (jiān zhí) part-time job, 实习 (shí xí) internship, 找工作 (zhǎo gōng zuò) look for a job, 毕业 (bì yè) graduate.

Making friends: 你叫什么名字 (nǐ jiào shén me míng zi) — what is your name, 你是哪个国家的 (nǐ shì nǎ ge guó jiā de) — which country are you from, 我们可以一起练习 (wǒ men kě yǐ yī qǐ liàn xí) — we can practice together, 加个微信吧 (jiā ge wēi xìn ba) — let us add each other on WeChat, 一起吃饭吧 (yī qǐ chī fàn ba) — let us eat together. These small social phrases build the friendship that makes language learning stick.