等 děng — class; rank; grade; equal to; same as; wait for
请等我一下。Qǐng děng wǒ yí xià.Please wait for me a moment.
Common words: 等于 (děng yú)、等到 (děng dào)、平等 (píng děng)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "class"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "class", including 等 (děng), 类 (lèi), 般 (bān), 班 (bān), 汇 (huì), 课 (kè). Study pinyin, English meanings…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "class" covers 7 different Chinese characters — 等 (děng), 类 (lèi), 般 (bān), 班 (bān), 汇 (huì), 课 (kè), 纲 (gāng) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 7 characters do not share a sound — their readings span děng, lèi, bān, huì, kè, gāng — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 等 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 等 děngclass; rank; grade; equal to; same as; wait forUseful words: 等于, 等到
- 类 lèikind; type; class; category; similar; likeUseful words: 人类, 类似
- 般 bānsort; kind; class; way; mannerUseful words: 一般, 一般来说
- 班 bānteam; class; rank; squad; a work shift; a measure wordUseful words: 上班, 下班
- 汇 huìremit; to converge (of rivers); to exchange; class; collectionUseful words: 汇报, 词汇
Common words for these 7 "class" characters
Anchor each of these 7 characters in a word you can picture — start with 等 (děng) — so "class" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
等于děng yúto equal; to be tantamount to等到děng dàoto wait until; by the time when (sth is ready etc)平等píng děngequal; equality人类rén lèihumanity; human race; mankind类似lèi sìsimilar; analogous类型lèi xíngtype; kind; category; (computer programming) type一般yī bānsame; ordinary; so-so; common一般来说yī bān lái shuōgenerally speaking这般zhè bānlike this; this way上班shàng bānto go to work; to be on duty; to start work; to go to the office
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 7 ways to say "class".
类 lèi — kind; type; class; category; similar; like
商店里有各类水果。Shāng diàn lǐ yǒu gè lèi shuǐ guǒ.There are all kinds of fruit in the store.
Common words: 人类 (rén lèi)、类似 (lèi sì)、类型 (lèi xíng)
般 bān — sort; kind; class; way; manner
时间像流水一般过得飞快。Shí jiān xiàng liú shuǐ yì bān guò de fēi kuài.Time passes as quickly as flowing water.
Common words: 一般 (yī bān)、一般来说 (yī bān lái shuō)、这般 (zhè bān)
班 bān — team; class; rank; squad; a work shift; a measure word
我们班一共有四十名学生。Wǒ men bān yí gòng yǒu sì shí míng xué sheng.Our class has forty students in total.
Common words: 上班 (shàng bān)、下班 (xià bān)、班长 (bān zhǎng)
汇 huì — remit; to converge (of rivers); to exchange; class; collection
许多小溪汇成了一条大河。Xǔ duō xiǎo xī huì chéng le yì tiáo dà hé.Many streams merge into a big river.
Common words: 汇报 (huì bào)、词汇 (cí huì)、外汇 (wài huì)
课 kè — subject; class; lesson
上课的时候要专心听讲。Shàng kè de shí hou yào zhuān xīn tīng jiǎng.During class, you should listen attentively.
Common words: 上课 (shàng kè)、下课 (xià kè)、课本 (kè běn)
纲 gāng — head rope of a fishing net; guiding principle; key link; class (taxonomy); outline; program
写文章之前，先列一个提纲。Xiě wén zhāng zhī qián, xiān liè yí ge tí gāng.Before writing an article, first make an outline.
Common words: 大纲 (dà gāng)、提纲 (tí gāng)、纲领 (gāng lǐng)
All 7 characters
Open 等、类、般 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.