ChineseVocabularybeginner

Time Expressions in Chinese: Hours, Days, and Duration

3 min read · Updated April 13, 2026

Understanding Time in Mandarin Chinese

Mastering time expressions is essential for everyday communication in Chinese. This guide will help you confidently talk about clock times, days, months, relative time, and duration—all with practical examples you can start using right away.

Expressing Clock Time

To tell time in Chinese, you primarily use three words: 点 (diǎn) for "o'clock", 分 (fēn) for "minutes", and 半 (bàn) for "half". The structure is simple: [hour] + 点 + [minutes] + 分.

三点 sān diǎn 3 o'clock

三点十分 sān diǎn shí fēn 3:10 (ten past three)

三点半 sān diǎn bàn 3:30 (half past three)

You can also use 刻 (kè) to mean "quarter". One 刻 is 15 minutes.

三点一刻 sān diǎn yí kè 3:15 (a quarter past three)

Tip: When the minutes are a multiple of ten (like 10, 20, 30), it's common to drop 分. For example, 三点十 (sān diǎn shí) is often used for 3:10.

span class="target-lang">上午 (shàngwǔ) for morning, 下午 (xiàwǔ) for afternoon, or 晚上 (wǎnshang) for evening/night. For example, 上午九点 (shàngwǔ jiǔ diǎn) means 9 a.m.

Days of the Week

The days of the week in Chinese all end with 期 (qī), meaning "period". The names are logical: Monday is "week one", Tuesday is "week two", etc.

Chinese Pinyin English
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
星期日 / 星期天 xīngqīrì / xīngqītiān Sunday

Tip: Both 星期日 and 星期天 are commonly used for Sunday. 天 (tiān) means "day" or "sky", and is more casual.

Months of the Year

Months are formed by combining the number (1-12) with 月 (yuè), meaning "month".

一月 yī yuè January

十二月 shí'èr yuè December

To specify a date, use the pattern: [month] + 月 + [day] + 号 (hào) or 日 (rì).

五月十号 wǔ yuè shí hào May 10th

Warning: While both 号 and 日 can be used for the day of the month, 号 is more common in spoken Chinese, while 日 is often used in writing or formal contexts.

Relative Time Words

These words help you talk about days relative to today. They are very frequently used.

  • 昨天 (zuótiān) - yesterday
  • 今天 (jīntiān) - today
  • 明天 (míngtiān) - tomorrow
  • 前天 (qiántiān) - the day before yesterday
  • 后天 (hòutiān) - the day after tomorrow

我明天很忙。

他昨天来了。 Tlation">He came yesterday.

Expressing Duration

To express how long something takes or lasts, use the pattern: [number] + [time unit]. Common time units include:

  • 个小时 (gè xiǎoshí) - hour(s)
  • 天 (tiān) - day(s)
  • 星期 (xīngqī) - week(s)
  • 月 (yuè) - month(s)
  • 年 (nián) - year(s)

一个小时 yí gè xiǎoshí one hour

两天 liǎng tiān two days

我学了三年中文。 Wǒ xué le sān nián Zhōngwén. I have studied Chinese for three years.

Tip: Note that 两 (liǎng) is used for "two" instead of 二 (èr) when counting most nouns, including time units.

Practice

Try translating these sentences into Chinese:

  1. The meeting is at 2:30 p.m.
  2. I will go to Beijing on Tuesday.
  3. She was born on October 5th.
  4. We watched a movie for two hours yesterday.

Sample Answers:

  1. 会议在下午两点半。 (Huìyì zài xiàwǔ liǎng diǎn bàn.)
  2. 我星期二去北京。 (Wǒ xīngqī'èr qù Běijīng.)
  3. 她十月五号出生。 (Tā shí yuè wǔ hào chūshēng.)
  4. 我们昨天看了两个小时的电影。 (Wǒmen zuótiān kàn le liǎng gè xiǎoshí de diànyǐng.)

Summary and Key Takeaways

  • Use 点 for hours, 分 for minutes, and 半 for half-hour.
  • Days of the week are 星期一 to 星期日/天.
  • Months are numbers + 月; dates are month + 月 + day + 号/日.
  • Key relative time words: 昨天, 今天, 明天.
  • Express duration with number + time unit (e.g., 两个小时, 三天).
  • Remember to use 上午/下午/晚上 for time of day instead of a.m./p.m.

With these structures and vocabulary, you can now talk about time confidently in Chinese. Keep practicing by describing your daily schedule, making plans with friends, or discussing past and future events!

timedatesHSK 1

Related Articles

Chinese Numbers: Counting, Money, Dates, and Phone Numbers

Numbers are the foundation of daily communication, and in Mandarin Chinese, they follow a beautifully logical system. From buying groceries to making appointments, mastering numbers is one of the m...

Essential Chinese Vocabulary for Daily Life

Building a strong foundation of practical vocabulary is the first step to navigating daily life in Chinese. This guide organizes over 80 essential words and phrases into key themes, complete with p...

Continue Learning Chinese

Put these concepts into practice with visual vocabulary cards and structured learning paths.

Start Learning ChineseBrowse Chinese Cards