考研 (kǎo yán) literally means 'to take the graduate entrance exam' — a standardized national examination in China that students must pass to enroll in master’s or doctoral programs at universities. The character 考 (kǎo) means 'to examine' or 'to test', while 研 (yán) is short for 研究生 (yánjiūshēng), meaning 'graduate student' or 'postgraduate'. Together, they form a compact verb phrase widely used in academic and career contexts.

This term is central to Chinese higher education culture and carries significant social weight: many undergraduates spend months preparing intensively, often attending specialized tutoring classes or forming study groups. While it can refer to the act of taking the exam itself, it’s also commonly used more broadly to describe the entire preparation process — studying, reviewing, applying, and waiting for results. It is not used for international graduate admissions (e.g., GRE or TOEFL), only for China’s domestic postgraduate entrance examination.