学 (xué) is a versatile verb meaning 'to learn' or 'to study', often used in everyday speech and in compounds (e.g., 学中文 'learn Chinese'). It is shorter and more flexible than 学习 (xuéxí), which is a two-character verb that emphasizes the process of studying. 学 can also mean 'to imitate' (e.g., 学他说话 'imitate his speech'), but 模仿 (mófǎng) is the more precise word for deliberate imitation.