Chinese Time Vocabulary: Essential Words & Phrases for Learners
Understanding Chinese vocabulary for time is essential for everyday conversations. Whether you're scheduling meetings, talking about your daily routine, or discussing the past and future, these time-related words and phrases will help you communicate effectively in Mandarin Chinese.
Essential Time Vocabulary
These are the core Chinese words for time that every learner needs to know. Mastering these fundamentals will give you a solid foundation for expressing when things happen.
| Word | Pronunciation | English | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 时间 | shíjiān | time | 我没有时间。(Wǒ méiyǒu shíjiān.) – I don't have time. |
| 小时 | xiǎoshí | hour | 一个小时后见。(Yí gè xiǎoshí hòu jiàn.) – See you in one hour. |
| 分钟 | fēnzhōng | minute | 请等五分钟。(Qǐng děng wǔ fēnzhōng.) – Please wait five minutes. |
| 秒 | miǎo | second | 只要几秒钟。(Zhǐyào jǐ miǎozhōng.) – It only takes a few seconds. |
| 点 | diǎn | o'clock | 现在几点？(Xiànzài jǐ diǎn?) – What time is it now? |
| 半 | bàn | half (past) | 三点半。(Sān diǎn bàn.) – Half past three. |
| 刻 | kè | quarter (15 minutes) | 九点一刻。(Jiǔ diǎn yí kè.) – A quarter past nine. |
| 早上 | zǎoshang | morning | 我早上跑步。(Wǒ zǎoshang pǎobù.) – I run in the morning. |
| 中午 | zhōngwǔ | noon | 中午我们吃饭吧。(Zhōngwǔ wǒmen chīfàn ba.) – Let's eat at noon. |
| 下午 | xiàwǔ | afternoon | 下午有会议。(Xiàwǔ yǒu huìyì.) – There's a meeting in the afternoon. |
| 晚上 | wǎnshang | evening/night | 晚上你有空吗？(Wǎnshang nǐ yǒu kòng ma?) – Are you free tonight? |
| 今天 | jīntiān | today | 今天天气很好。(Jīntiān tiānqì hěn hǎo.) – The weather is nice today. |
| 明天 | míngtiān | tomorrow | 明天见！(Míngtiān jiàn!) – See you tomorrow! |
| 昨天 | zuótiān | yesterday | 昨天我很忙。(Zuótiān wǒ hěn máng.) – I was very busy yesterday. |
| 现在 | xiànzài | now | 现在开始吧。(Xiànzài kāishǐ ba.) – Let's start now. |
| 以前 | yǐqián | before/ago | 三年以前我去过中国。(Sān nián yǐqián wǒ qùguo Zhōngguó.) – I went to China three years ago. |
| 以后 | yǐhòu | after/later | 吃饭以后我们去散步。(Chīfàn yǐhòu wǒmen qù sànbù.) – Let's take a walk after eating. |
Common Time Phrases
Beyond individual words, these expressions will help you learn Chinese time concepts in context. Use them in daily conversations to sound more natural.
| Word | Pronunciation | English | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 什么时候 | shénme shíhou | when | 你什么时候来？(Nǐ shénme shíhou lái?) – When are you coming? |
| 每天 | měitiān | every day | 我每天学中文。(Wǒ měitiān xué Zhōngwén.) – I study Chinese every day. |
| 有时候 | yǒu shíhou | sometimes | 有时候我会迟到。(Yǒu shíhou wǒ huì chídào.) – Sometimes I'm late. |
| 一会儿 | yíhuìr | a moment/a while | 请等一会儿。(Qǐng děng yíhuìr.) – Please wait a moment. |
| 马上 | mǎshàng | immediately/right away | 我马上来！(Wǒ mǎshàng lái!) – I'm coming right away! |
| 刚才 | gāngcái | just now | 他刚才打电话了。(Tā gāngcái dǎ diànhuà le.) – He just called. |
| 快要 | kuàiyào | about to/soon | 电影快要开始了。(Diànyǐng kuàiyào kāishǐ le.) – The movie is about to start. |
| 已经 | yǐjīng | already | 我已经吃过了。(Wǒ yǐjīng chīguo le.) – I've already eaten. |
Usage Notes
When studying Chinese lesson time topics, keep these important cultural and grammatical points in mind:
- Time comes before the verb: In Chinese, time expressions typically appear before the action. Say 我明天去 (Wǒ míngtiān qù – I tomorrow go) not "I go tomorrow."
- 12-hour vs. 24-hour clock: While the 24-hour clock is used in formal contexts (train schedules, official announcements), conversational Chinese uses the 12-hour clock with time-of-day markers: 早上 (morning), 上午 (late morning), 中午 (noon), 下午 (afternoon), 晚上 (evening).
- The order is large to small: Chinese goes from larger units to smaller ones: year → month → day → hour → minute. For example: 2024年3月15日下午3点 (March 15, 2024, 3 PM).
- Using 两 vs. 二: When counting hours, use 两个小时 (liǎng gè xiǎoshí – two hours), not 二个小时. However, for telling time, both 两点 and 二点 are acceptable for "2 o'clock."
- 差 (chà) for "to": To express time before the hour, use 差. For example, 差五分钟八点 (chà wǔ fēnzhōng bā diǎn) means "five minutes to eight."
- 了 (le) for time passing: The particle 了 is often used to indicate that time has passed or a state has changed: 已经十点了 (Yǐjīng shí diǎn le) – It's already 10 o'clock.
Practice Sentences
Put your knowledge of Chinese time vocabulary into practice with these example sentences. Try reading them aloud and creating your own variations.
- 现在几点了？ (Xiànzài jǐ diǎn le?) – What time is it now?
- 我每天早上七点起床。 (Wǒ měitiān zǎoshang qī diǎn qǐchuáng.) – I get up at 7 AM every morning.
- 我们下午三点半见面吧。 (Wǒmen xiàwǔ sān diǎn bàn jiànmiàn ba.) – Let's meet at 3:30 PM.
- 他昨天晚上十一点才回家。 (Tā zuótiān wǎnshang shíyī diǎn cái huíjiā.) – He didn't get home until 11 PM last night.
- 这个会议要开两个小时。 (Zhège huìyì yào kāi liǎng gè xiǎoshí.) – This meeting will last two hours.
- 你什么时候有空？ (Nǐ shénme shíhou yǒu kòng?) – When are you free?
- 我刚才在睡觉。 (Wǒ gāngcái zài shuìjiào.) – I was just sleeping.
- 三个月以后我要去北京。 (Sān gè yuè yǐhòu wǒ yào qù Běijīng.) – I'm going to Beijing in three months.
- 快点！我们快要迟到了！ (Kuài diǎn! Wǒmen kuàiyào chídào le!) – Hurry! We're about to be late!
- 我每个星期六下午学中文。 (Wǒ měi gè xīngqīliù xiàwǔ xué Zhōngwén.) – I study Chinese every Saturday afternoon.