【Learn Chinese】Talking About School Subjects in Chinese

The new school year is a fresh start, a time to set new goals and dive into new subjects. Whether you are a student navigating a real Chinese school or an adult learner, being able to discuss your classes is a key part of conversational fluency.
Today, let’s learn how to say your favorite (and least favorite!) school subjects in Mandarin.

The structure of your day is called your 课程表 (kèchéng biǎo) , or class schedule. The first class of the day is often the most important: language arts. In a Chinese school, this is 语文 (yǔwén) , the study of the Chinese language and literature. Closely related is 英语 (yīngyǔ) , which is the study of the English language.
For those who love working with numbers, you’ll look forward to 数学 (shùxué) —mathematics. If you’re more curious about the natural world, you’ll enjoy 科学 (kēxué) , or general science, which might later branch into specific fields like 物理 (wùlǐ) (physics) or 化学 (huàxué) (chemistry).
To understand the past, we study 历史 (lìshǐ) , and to know where we are in the world, we look at maps in 地理 (dìlǐ) class. For the creative souls, 美术 (měishù) , meaning art, is a time to express yourself. And for the musicians, 音乐 (yīnyuè) is the class where you can sing and learn about rhythm.
Finally, to keep our bodies as strong as our minds, we have 体育 (tǐyù) , which is physical education (P.E.). It’s the perfect way to burn off energy and learn the importance of teamwork.

Let's get conversational!
To share your favorite subject, you can say:
我最喜欢的课是... (Wǒ zuì xǐhuān de kè shì...) — "My favorite class is..."
For example: 我最喜欢的课是音乐。(Wǒ zuì xǐhuān de kè shì yīnyuè.) — "My favorite class is music."
To ask someone about their preferences, try these questions:
你最喜欢的课是什么？(Nǐ zuì xǐhuān de kè shì shénme?) — "What is your favorite class?"
你喜欢数学吗？(Nǐ xǐhuān shùxué ma?) — "Do you like math?"

So, as you look at your new schedule this week, practice saying these subjects out loud. Try forming a sentence: "我今天有数学课 (Wǒ jīntiān yǒu shùxué kè)" – "I have math class today."