Telling Time in Chinese: Hours, Days, Months, and Seasons
Clock Time
Chinese clock time uses 点 (diǎn) for hours and 分 (fēn) for minutes. Three o'clock is 三点 (sān diǎn). 3:30 is 三点半 (sān diǎn bàn, using 半 for half) or 三点三十分. A quarter is 刻 (kè), so 3:15 is 三点一刻.
Days and Weeks
Days of the week follow an elegant number pattern. 星期一 (Monday, literally "week-one") through 星期六 (Saturday, "week-six"). Only Sunday breaks the pattern: 星期天 or 星期日. Today is 今天 (jīntiān), yesterday is 昨天 (zuótiān), tomorrow is 明天 (míngtiān).
Months and Years
Months are simply number + 月: 一月 (January), 二月 (February), and so on through 十二月 (December). Years are read digit by digit: 2026 is 二零二六年. This system is remarkably logical compared to English month names. Try our Number Converter to practice numbers.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How do you say the days of the week in Chinese? ▼
Monday through Saturday use 星期 (xīngqī) plus a number: 星期一 (Monday) through 星期六 (Saturday). Sunday is 星期天 or 星期日.
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