Days, Months & Telling Time in Chinese
Good news: Chinese dates and times are incredibly logical. Months are literally "Month 1, Month 2..." and days of the week are "Week 1, Week 2..." Once you know numbers, you already know 90% of the system.
Months — Just Number + 月
| English | Chinese | Pinyin | Literal |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 一月 | yīyuè | Month 1 |
| February | 二月 | èryuè | Month 2 |
| March | 三月 | sānyuè | Month 3 |
| April | 四月 | sìyuè | Month 4 |
| May | 五月 | wǔyuè | Month 5 |
| June | 六月 | liùyuè | Month 6 |
| July | 七月 | qīyuè | Month 7 |
| August | 八月 | bāyuè | Month 8 |
| September | 九月 | jiǔyuè | Month 9 |
| October | 十月 | shíyuè | Month 10 |
| November | 十一月 | shíyīyuè | Month 11 |
| December | 十二月 | shí'èryuè | Month 12 |
Days of the Week — 星期 + Number
| English | Chinese | Pinyin | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 星期一 | xīngqī yī | Week-day 1 |
| Tuesday | 星期二 | xīngqī èr | Week-day 2 |
| Wednesday | 星期三 | xīngqī sān | Week-day 3 |
| Thursday | 星期四 | xīngqī sì | Week-day 4 |
| Friday | 星期五 | xīngqī wǔ | Week-day 5 |
| Saturday | 星期六 | xīngqī liù | Week-day 6 |
| Sunday | 星期天 | xīngqī tiān | 天 (tiān) = sky/day, not a number! |
Telling Time
- 现在几点？ (xiànzài jǐ diǎn?) — What time is it now?
- 三点 (sān diǎn) — 3 o'clock
- 三点半 (sān diǎn bàn) — 3:30 (half past three)
- 三点十五分 (sān diǎn shíwǔ fēn) — 3:15
- 上午 (shàngwǔ) = AM, 下午 (xiàwǔ) = PM
Date Order: Chinese dates go from largest to smallest — Year 年 (nián) → Month 月 (yuè) → Day 日/号 (rì/hào). Example: 2025年1月15日 = January 15, 2025. This is the opposite of American English!