ucznia

Ucznia is the genitive singular and the accusative singular form of the Polish masculine noun uczeń, meaning a pupil or student, typically a male learner in a school setting. The word denotes a person who learns within an educational context; the feminine counterpart is uczennica, used for female pupils.

Declension

Singular: N uczeń, G ucznia, D uczniowi, A ucznia, I uczniem. Plural: N uczniowie, G uczniów, D uczniom, A uczniów, I uczniami. Other cases (locative, vocative) exist but are used in specific contexts and are not listed here.

Usage

Ucznia appears in genitive singular and accusative singular constructions, such as wiek ucznia (the pupil’s age) or nie ma ucznia (there is no pupil). It is used to refer to male pupils; for female pupils the corresponding term is uczennica, with its own declined forms. In mixed or gender-neutral contexts, Polish often uses the masculine form uczeń generically, though uczennica is common when the gender is known or specified.

Etymology

The word uczeń originates from Old Polish and Proto-Slavic roots meaning “one who learns.” It is cognate with related Slavic terms such as Russian uchénik, reflecting a common medieval concept of a learner or disciple.

See also

uczennica, szkoła, edukacja, język polski.