What does 老师 mean in Chinese?

老师 (lǎo shī) means "teacher; ,位[wei4]" in Chinese. The new HSK exam tests it at HSK 1.

How do you pronounce 老师?

老师 is pronounced "lǎo shī" in Mandarin Chinese. It is made up of 2 syllables.

What HSK level is 老师?

老师 is an HSK 1 word on the new HSK exam syllabus. It is HSK 1 on both the old and the new exam.

What characters make up 老师?

老师 is made up of the characters 老, 师. Each character has its own meaning and can appear in other words.

How do you write 老师?

You can practice writing 老师 using our stroke order tool.

老师 (lǎo shī), teacher

老师

lǎo shī

teacher; ,位[wei4]

HSK 1classifier

Traditional: 老師

Characters in This Word

老师

Definitions

(classifier) teacher
,位[wei4]

Classifier: 个 (gè), 位 (wèi)

Example Sentences

我的老师很好。

Wǒ de lǎoshī hěn hǎo

My teacher is very good

→

三人行，必有我师(sān rén xíng , bì yǒu wǒ shī)· lit. if three walk together, one can be my teacher (idiom, from the Analects of Confucius)

→

人非生而知之者，熟能无惑(rén fēi shēng ér zhī zhī zhě , shú néng wú huò)· Knowledge is not innate to man, how can we overcome doubt?

→

代课(dài kè)· to teach as substitute for absent teacher

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HSK levels

New HSK exam: HSK 1
HSK 2.0: HSK 1
HSK Lord study list: HSK 1 list

老师: HSK 1 on both the old and the new exam. See where your old level lands

New exam levels follow the CLEC syllabus released 15 November 2025. The first official sitting is announced for 13 December 2026. HSK 7-9 is one advanced band.

On the new HSK 1 exam

Studying for HSK 1? Keep 老师 with the rest of your level.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Reviewed by RJ Murray, Founder, HSK Lord.

老师