■ radical

xué

learning

How it’s built

Simplified form of 學. Originally composed of the numbers five (㐅) and six (六), representing study of arithmetic. Later two hands (又) were added on the left and right side of the character, possibly depicting counting with fingers or hands-on teaching. Finally a child (子) was added to the bottom, depicting a child being educated. The bottom part of 六 (six) was reanalyzed as 宀 (roof) and interpreted as a building for learning.

◎

simplified

characterless component — Shorthand form of the 㐅 (five), 六 (six), and 又 (hand) components in the top part of the traditional character 學.

宀

iconic

roof

子

iconic

son; child

Through the ages

Oracle bone script

Bronze script

Seal script

Appears in

Characters that use 学 as a component, most common first.

觉juéconscious