hit the books vs learn

hit the books and learn both are verbs.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
hit the books	No	No	Yes	No
learn	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, learn is a hypernym of hit the books; that is, learn is a word with a broader meaning than hit the books:

Other hypernyms of hit the books include acquire, larn.

As verbs, learn is a hyponym of hit the books; that is, learn is a word with a more specific, narrower meaning than hit the books:

Other hyponyms of hit the books include con, memorise, memorize, bone, bone up, cram, drum, get up, grind away, mug up, swot, swot up.

hit the books (verb)	learn (verb)
learn by reading books	gain knowledge or skills
	get to know or become aware of, usually accidentally
	be a student of a certain subject
	commit to memory; learn by heart
	impart skills or knowledge to
	find out, learn, or determine with certainty, usually by making an inquiry or other effort