Learn to Say “School” in 10 Different Languages

Going to school is different all around the world. In the United States, children are entitled to a free public education from kindergarten through the twelfth grade. In France, children attend school for free through high school, but they receive their diploma after they complete middle school. The three years of high school are spent preparing for college or other higher education. No matter where you send your kids to school, it’s fun to learn facts about schools in other places as well. Before the kids go back this fall, learn how to say “school” in 10 languages other than English.

Schools Around the World

In Spanish-speaking countries, children go to escuela (es-quail-a). In Mexico, children start at age six and go until they are 15.

Some French children only go to école (e-call) four days a week. Others may go four and a half days or five days a week.

Children in China go to 学校 (shay-chow). Chinese education usually starts at age seven, but it starts at age six in Beijing and Shanghai.

School in Japan is called gakkou (gack-ko). It starts in April instead of the fall. If you go to school in Japan, you get to learn shodo, or Japanese calligraphy and the art of haiku, a Japanese poem form.

Haggyo (hag-e-yo) is how children say school in Korean. In the afternoon after school, students practice English.

German children start schule (shoe-lah) at three years old. The school day starts between 7:30 a.m. and 8:15 a.m. but ends at 1:30 p.m.

Children start σχολείο (s-cole-e-a-o) at age six in Greece. The school year starts on September 11 and ends on June 21.

In Hawaiian, school is kula (cool-ah). So, you could say, school-ah is cool-ah!

Irish schools are called scoil (sk-oil). They are always closed during July and August.

Koulu (cow-loo) is the Finnish word for school. Finnish schools are in session less than four hours a day.

Do you know any other cool words for school in other languages? For more fun facts, check out the Little Passports World Edition monthly subscriptions.