learn vs hit the books

learn and hit the books both are verbs.

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

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

Other hyponyms of learn include relearn, catch up, absorb, assimilate, ingest, take in, study.

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

Other hypernyms of learn include study.

learn (verb)	hit the books (verb)
gain knowledge or skills	learn by reading books
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