Writing
上班 (shàng bān) — how to say "to go to work" in Chinese
上班
To go to work, to start work shift
separable verb
How to use it
Splits into two parts, with other words in between: how much, how long, 了 or 过.
上了一天班
shàng le yì tiān bān
worked all day
Character composition
上
to go up, on
班
shift, group
Radicals / Keys
玉
Jade
#96 · yù · 5 strokes
一
One
#1 · yī · 1 stroke
Collocations
去上班
qù shàng bān
to go to work
Examples
他八点上班，晚上很累。
He starts work at eight, gets very tired in the evening.
我去上班
I go to work.
Mnemonic
[shàng bān-] Shang Bond climbs 上 the hill with his briefcase to start his 班 work shift every morning 🚶♂️. Alongside him is a 班 group of penguins, all eager to climb 上 to the top to begin their shift on time.
Frequently asked questions
Go to work in Chinese language
"to go to work" in Chinese is 上班 (shàng bān).
上班 meaning English
上班 (shàng bān) means "To go to work, to start work shift".
How is 上班 pronounced?
It is pronounced shàng bān (written as shang ban, shangban). You can listen to the pronunciation on this page.
How do you write "to go to work" in Chinese characters?
It is written 上班: 上 has 3 strokes, 班 has 10 strokes. The Writing section above animates the stroke order of each character and lets you trace it.
What HSK level is 上班?
上班 belongs to the HSK 2 vocabulary list.
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