The word 数学 (shùxué, "mathematics") is formed through a straightforward conceptual synthesis of its two component characters: 数 (shù), which means "number" or "to count", and 学 (xué), which means "study" or "learning". By combining them, the word visually and notionally represents "the study of numbers" or "the learning of counting", directly encapsulating the core subject matter of the discipline.