Dates and time
Years, months, days of the week and the clock.
Dates go from the largest unit to the smallest: year, month, day, then the day of the week and the time.
- Jīntiān shì shíyuè shísān hào, xīngqī'èr.Today is Tuesday, October 13th.
Years, months and days
A year is read digit by digit, with 年 nián: 二〇二六年 èr líng èr liù nián. Months are numbered: 一月 yīyuè January, 二月 èryuè February, up to 十二月 shí'èryuè December. The day of the month is 号 hào in speech and 日 rì in writing.
Days of the week
The week is 星期 xīngqī, or 周 zhōu; the days are numbered from Monday, except Sunday.
| Day | Pinyin |
|---|---|
| 星期一 | xīngqīyī Monday |
| 星期二 | xīngqī'èr Tuesday |
| 星期三 | xīngqīsān Wednesday |
| 星期四 | xīngqīsì Thursday |
| 星期五 | xīngqīwǔ Friday |
| 星期六 | xīngqīliù Saturday |
| 星期天, 星期日 | xīngqītiān, xīngqīrì Sunday |
Before and after
| Before | Now | Next |
|---|---|---|
| 昨天 zuótiān yesterday | 今天 jīntiān today | 明天 míngtiān tomorrow |
| 去年 qùnián last year | 今年 jīnnián this year | 明年 míngnián next year |
| 上个星期 last week | 这个星期 this week | 下个星期 next week |
| 上个月 last month | 这个月 this month | 下个月 next month |
The clock
点 diǎn is "o'clock", 分 fēn "minutes", 半 bàn "half past" and 一刻 yí kè "a quarter". Parts of the day come before the time: 早上 zǎoshang morning, 上午 shàngwǔ morning, 中午 zhōngwǔ noon, 下午 xiàwǔ afternoon, 晚上 wǎnshang evening.
| Time | Chinese |
|---|---|
| 3:00 | 三点 sān diǎn |
| 3:10 | 三点十分 sān diǎn shí fēn |
| 3:15 | 三点一刻 sān diǎn yí kè |
| 3:30 | 三点半 sān diǎn bàn |
| 3:55 | 差五分四点 chà wǔ fēn sì diǎn |
- Xiànzài jǐ diǎn?What time is it?
- Wǒmen xiàwǔ sān diǎn bàn jiànmiàn.We'll meet at half past three in the afternoon.
How long
A point in time goes before the verb, but how long something lasts goes after it.
- Wǒ měitiān wǎnshang qī diǎn chī fàn.I have dinner at seven every evening.
- Wǒ xuéle liǎng nián Hànyǔ.I studied Chinese for two years.
Cards from this guide
8 cardsEach card asks about one thing this guide teaches, and its back gives the answer with why and an example. They're reviewed with the rest of the Numbers, time and money cards.
How do you say "Monday"?
星期一 (xīngqīyī).
How do you say "Sunday"?
星期天 (xīngqītiān) or 星期日 (xīngqīrì).
How do you ask "What time is it?"
现在几点？
How do you say "half past three"?
三点半 (sān diǎn bàn).
What order does a date follow?
Year, month, day: 2026年10月13日.
How is the year 2026 read?
Digit by digit: èr líng èr liù nián.
How do you say "next week"?
下个星期 (xià ge xīngqī).
Where does "for two years" go in "I studied Chinese for two years"?
After the verb: 我学了两年汉语.