时间 shíjiān

1. Time (period)

These meanings come from the same dictionary that powers the Chinese to Pinyin translator and the Chinese to English translator, so a whole sentence containing 时间 will read it the same way this page does.

时间 is written with 2 characters. Chinese words are usually easier to remember once you can see what each part contributes.

Want pinyin above a sentence of your own? Paste it into the Pinyin Annotator.

These are also written shijian without tone marks. Tones and context are what keep them apart — which is why the tone is part of the word, not an accent on it.

Train the difference in the Tone Trainer or the Similar Sounds Quiz.

What does 时间 mean in English?

时间 is pronounced shíjiān and means Time (period).

How do you pronounce 时间?

时间 is shíjiān in pinyin — written shijian without tone marks. Press the audio button on this page to hear it spoken by a native voice.

What are the characters in 时间?

时间 is written with 2 characters: 时 (shí) When (time - hour - season - o'clock), 间 (jiān) Between (within - mw for rooms). Knowing the parts is usually how the whole word becomes memorable.

How is 时间 written in traditional Chinese?

時間. The simplified form 时间 is used in mainland China and Singapore; 時間 is used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau. Both are pronounced shíjiān.

Is 时间 an HSK word?

Yes — 时间 is on the official HSK 2 vocabulary list. You can study it with the rest of that list on the HSK 2 page.