考

• Pinyin: kǎo
• Hanzi breakdown: 考 = related to 老 (old) with a modified bottom — an elder examining or testing others

Meaning

To take a test; to examine. Used for academic examinations and assessments.

Can mean both to take a test (学生考试) and to test someone (老师考学生). Often appears in compounds: 考试 (exam), 考上 (pass an entrance exam), 考虑 (consider). In school contexts, 考 alone is commonly used.

Examples

1. 明天我们考中文。 We have a Chinese test tomorrow.
2. 你考得怎么样？ How did you do on the test?
3. 他考了一百分。 He scored 100 on the test.

Usage Guide

Context: school, exams

Tone: academic

Do Say

• 明天考什么？(What's the test on tomorrow?)
• 我考得不太好。(I didn't do very well on the test.)

Don't Say

• 我考了老师。(This means 'I tested the teacher' — students don't test teachers; say 老师考了我们)

Origin & History

Originally meant to examine or investigate. The character is related to 老 (old), reflecting the idea of an elder testing or examining the younger generation.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal