班长

• Pinyin: bān zhǎng
• Hanzi breakdown: 班 (bān) — class, squad, shift; 长 (zhǎng) — leader, head, senior person

Meaning

Class monitor; squad leader. The student elected or appointed to lead a class in school.

In a school context, the 班长 is responsible for maintaining order and liaising with teachers. In a military context, it refers to a squad leader.

Examples

1. 他是我们班的班长，做事很认真。 He is our class monitor and takes everything very seriously.
2. 班长提醒大家明天带课本来。 The class monitor reminded everyone to bring their textbooks tomorrow.
3. 老师让班长收作业。 The teacher asked the monitor to collect the homework.

Usage Guide

Context: school, military, classroom management

Tone: neutral, respectful

Do Say

• 班长，请帮我发一下作业纸。(Monitor, please help hand out the worksheets.)
• 我们班长很负责任。(Our class monitor is very responsible.)

Don't Say

• Do not use 班长 to address a corporate team leader — use 组长 (team leader) or 经理 (manager) in professional business settings.

Origin & History

Compound of 班 (class, squad, group) and 长 (leader, head, senior). Literally 'head of the class/squad'.

Cultural Context

Generation: School-age children and young adults

Social background: Universal