How to Tell the Time in Chinese?
Chinese

How to Tell the Time in Chinese?

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Time is an essential aspect of communication in any language, and Chinese is no exception. Whether you’re planning a meeting, catching up with friends, or simply need to be punctual, knowing how to express time in Chinese is crucial. In this article, we’ll guide you through the intricacies of asking for and conveying the time in Mandarin Chinese.

The Word for Time in Chinese

First of all, we are not going to teach you how to tell the time in Chinese without first telling you how to actually say the word for “time” in Chinese.

The most common way to say “time” in Chinese is ๆ™‚้–“ (ใ„•หŠ ใ„ใ„งใ„ข – shรญ jiฤn).

time in chinese

How to Ask for the Time

Before delving into the specifics of telling time in Chinese, it’s important to know how to ask for it. To inquire about the time in Mandarin, you can use the following phrases:

ๅนพ้ปžไบ†? (ใ„ใ„ง ใ„‰ใ„งใ„ขห‡ ใ„Œใ„œห™ – jว diวŽn le?)

This is the most common way to ask for the time. It literally translates to “What time is it?“

็พๅœจๅนพ้ปž? (ใ„’ใ„งใ„ขห‹ ใ„—ใ„žห‹ ใ„ใ„ง ใ„‰ใ„งใ„ขห‡ ? – xiร n zร i jว diวŽn?)

This means “What time is it now?“

่ซ‹ๅ•ไฝ ็Ÿฅ้“็พๅœจ็š„ๆ™‚้–“ๅ—Ž๏ผŸ(ใ„‘ใ„งใ„ฅห‡ ใ„จใ„ฃห‹ ใ„‹ใ„งห‡ ใ„“ ใ„‰ใ„ ห‹ ใ„’ใ„งใ„ขห‹ ใ„—ใ„žห‹ ใ„‰ใ„œห™ ใ„•หŠ ใ„ใ„งใ„ข ใ„‡ใ„šหŠ ๏ผŸ – qวng wรจn nว zhฤซ dร o xiร n zร i de shรญ jiฤn ma?)

This is a very polite way to ask for the time. It literally means “May I ask you what the current time is?“

่ซ‹ๅ• [XXX] ๆ˜ฏไป€้บผๆ™‚ๅ€™๏ผŸ(ใ„‘ใ„งใ„ฅห‡ ใ„จใ„ฃห‹ [XXX] ใ„•ห‹ ใ„•ใ„ฃหŠ ใ„‡ใ„œห™ ใ„•หŠ ใ„ใ„กห‹ ๏ผŸ – Qวng wรจn [XXX] shรฌ shรฉn me shรญ hรฒu?)

This question is used to ask when a particular event is taking place. You simply have to replace [XXX] with the event in question.

For example, ่ซ‹ๅ•ไธญๆ–‡่ชฒๆ˜ฏไป€้บผๆ™‚ๅ€™๏ผŸ (ใ„‘ใ„งใ„ฅห‡ ใ„จใ„ฃห‹ ใ„“ใ„จใ„ฅ ใ„จใ„ฃหŠ ใ„Žใ„œห‹ ใ„•ห‹ ใ„•ใ„ฃหŠ ใ„‡ใ„œห™ ใ„•หŠ ใ„ใ„กห‹ ๏ผŸ) – “At what time is the Chinese class?

How to say the time in chinese?

The Hours in Chinese

There are two words to say “hour” in Chinese:

  • ๅฐๆ™‚ (ใ„’ใ„งใ„ ห‡ ใ„•หŠ – xiวŽo shรญ) – hour (Formal)
  • ้˜้ ญ (ใ„“ใ„จใ„ฅ ใ„Šใ„กหŠ – zhลng tรณu) – hour (Informal)

These two words are used to refer to an hour as a unit of time. For example:

ๅพžๅฐๅŒ—ๅˆฐๅฐไธญๅ็ซ่ปŠ้œ€่ฆๅ…ฉๅฐๆ™‚ใ€‚ (ใ„˜ใ„จใ„ฅหŠ ใ„Šใ„žหŠ ใ„…ใ„Ÿห‡ ใ„‰ใ„ ห‹ ใ„Šใ„žหŠ ใ„“ใ„จใ„ฅ ใ„—ใ„จใ„›ห‹ ใ„ใ„จใ„›ห‡ ใ„”ใ„œ ใ„’ใ„ฉ ใ„งใ„ ห‹ ใ„Œใ„งใ„คห‡ ใ„’ใ„งใ„ ห‡ ใ„•หŠ – cรณng Tรกibฤ›i dร o Tรกizhลng zuรฒ huว’chฤ“ xลซyร o liวŽng xiวŽoshรญ)

In Taiwan, expressing the hours is relatively straightforward. Just like in the US, the numbers 1 to 12 are used to represent the hours on a clock. To specify AM and PM, you need to use time references such as “morning” or “evening.” More about time references will be discussed further in this article.

If you’ve forgotten how to say the numbers, please check out our article on the topic.

To tell the time, simply combine the number with the word “้ปž(้˜) (ใ„‰ใ„งใ„ขห‡ ( ใ„“ใ„จใ„ฅ ) – diวŽn (zhลng)),” which means “o’clock.” For example:

  • ไธ‰้ปž (ใ„™ใ„ข ใ„‰ใ„งใ„ขห‡ – sฤn diวŽn) means “3 o’clock.”

Remember that when enumerating things, such as time, ๅ…ฉ (ใ„Œใ„งใ„คห‡ – liวŽng) is used for “two” instead of ไบŒ.

The Minutes in Chinese

In Chinese, the word for minute is ๅˆ†้˜ (ใ„ˆใ„ฃ ใ„“ใ„จใ„ฅ – fฤ“n zhลng). This word is used to refer to minutes as a unit of time. For example:

ๆˆ‘ๅŽป่พฆๅ…ฌๅฎค้œ€่ฆ 30 ๅˆ†้˜ใ€‚(ใ„จใ„›ห‡ ใ„‘ใ„ฉห‹ ใ„…ใ„ขห‹ ใ„ใ„จใ„ฅ ใ„•ห‹ ใ„’ใ„ฉ ใ„งใ„ ห‹ 30 ใ„ˆใ„ฃ ใ„“ใ„จใ„ฅ – Wว’ qรน bร n gลng shรฌ xลซ yร o 30 fฤ“n zhลng.)

Telling the minutes as precise time in Chinese is also straightforward. You can use numbers from 1 to 59 to represent the minutes. To express minutes, you add “ๅˆ† (ใ„ˆใ„ฃ – fฤ“n)” after the number, and then you place it immediately after the hour. For example:

  • 4้ปž15ๅˆ† means โ€œ4:15.โ€

The Seconds in Chinese

Seconds are bit special, while the word ็ง’้˜ (ใ„‡ใ„งใ„ ห‡ ใ„“ใ„จใ„ฅ – miวŽo zhลng) exists, it is rarely used, and people instead simply use the word ็ง’ alone. For example:

ๅ›ž่ฆ†ไธ€ๅฐ้›ปๅญ้ƒตไปถ้œ€่ฆ 20 ็ง’ใ€‚(ใ„ใ„จใ„ŸหŠ ใ„ˆใ„จห‹ ใ„ง ใ„ˆใ„ฅ ใ„‰ใ„งใ„ขห‹ ใ„—ห‡ ใ„งใ„กหŠ ใ„ใ„งใ„ขห‹ ใ„’ใ„ฉ ใ„งใ„ ห‹ 20 ใ„‡ใ„งใ„ ห‡ – huรญ fรน yฤซ fฤ“ng diร n zว yรณu jiร n xลซ yร o 20 miวŽo)

While expressing seconds is less common in everyday conversation, you can follow the same pattern as minutes by adding “็ง’ (ใ„‡ใ„งใ„ ห‡ – miวŽo)” after the number, which you place then right after the hour. For instance:

  • 6้ปž30ๅˆ†20็ง’ means โ€œ6:30:20โ€.

Half and Quarter

To express “half past” or “quarter past” the hour, you can use these phrases:

  • ๅŠ (ใ„…ใ„ขห‹ – bร n) means “half.” For example, ไธ‰้ปžๅŠ means “3:30.”
  • ๅˆป (ใ„Žใ„œห‹ – kรจ) means “quarter.” For example, ไบ”้ปžไธ€ๅˆป means “5:15.”

Time References of the Day

In Chinese, there are specific phrases used to refer to different parts of the day. Here is a list of the most common time references in Chinese.

ChineseBopomofoPinyinEnglish
ๆ—ฉๆ™จใ„—ใ„ ห‡ ใ„”ใ„ฃหŠzวŽo chรฉnearly morning
ๆ—ฅๅ‡บใ„–ห‹ ใ„”ใ„จrรฌ chลซsunrise
ไธ‹ๅˆใ„’ใ„งใ„šห‹ ใ„จห‡xiร  wว”afternoon
ๆ™šไธŠใ„จใ„ขห‡ ใ„•ใ„คห‹wวŽn shร ngevening
ไธญๅˆใ„“ใ„จใ„ฅ ใ„จห‡zhลng wว”noon
ๆ—ฅ่ฝใ„–ห‹ ใ„Œใ„จใ„›ห‹rรฌ luรฒsunset
ๅคœ่ฃกใ„งใ„ห‹ ใ„Œใ„งห‡yรจ lวat night
ๅŠๅคœใ„…ใ„ขห‹ ใ„งใ„ห‹bร n yรจmidnight
ๅ‡Œๆ™จใ„Œใ„งใ„ฅหŠ ใ„”ใ„ฃหŠlรญng chรฉnbefore dawn

You can use these time references to specify whether it is AM or PM when stating the time. For example:

  • ๆ—ฉไธŠไน้ปž (ใ„—ใ„ ห‡ ใ„•ใ„คห‹ ใ„ใ„งใ„กห‡ ใ„‰ใ„งใ„ขห‡ – zวŽo shang jiว” diวŽn) means “9 o’clock in the morning.”

Time Adverbs

In addition to the basic expressions, you can use time-related adverbs to provide more context to your statements. Here are a few common ones:

ChineseBopomofoPinyinEnglish
็พๅœจใ„’ใ„งใ„ขห‹ ใ„—ใ„žห‹xiร n zร inow
็›ฎๅ‰ใ„‡ใ„จห‹ ใ„‘ใ„งใ„ขหŠmรน qiรกncurrently
ๅŒๆ™‚ใ„Šใ„จใ„ฅหŠ ใ„•หŠtรณng shรญmeanwhile / at the same time
ไปฅๅ‰ใ„งห‡ ใ„‘ใ„งใ„ขหŠyว qiรกnbefore
ไน‹ๅ‰ใ„“ ใ„‘ใ„งใ„ขหŠzhฤซ qiรกnbefore
ไปฅๅพŒใ„งห‡ ใ„ใ„กห‹yว hรฒuafter
ไน‹ๅพŒใ„“ ใ„ใ„กห‹zhฤซ hรฒuafter
ๅพˆๅฟซใ„ใ„ฃห‡ ใ„Žใ„จใ„žห‹hฤ›n kuร isoon
็ซ‹ๅˆปใ„Œใ„งห‹ ใ„Žใ„œห‹lรฌ kรจimmediately
ๅพˆไน…ใ„ใ„ฃห‡ ใ„ใ„งใ„กห‡hฤ›n jiว”for a long time
็›กๅฟซใ„ใ„งใ„ฃห‹ ใ„Žใ„จใ„žห‹jรฌn kuร ias soon as possible
ไปปไฝ•ๆ™‚ๅ€™ใ„–ใ„ฃห‹ ใ„ใ„œหŠ ใ„•หŠ ใ„ใ„กห‹rรจn hรฉ shรญ houany time

For example, you can say:

  • ๆˆ‘็›ฎๅ‰ๆญฃๅœจๅฐˆๅฟƒ่ค‡็ฟ’่€ƒ่ฉฆใ€‚(ใ„จใ„›ห‡ ใ„‡ใ„จห‹ ใ„‘ใ„งใ„ขหŠ ใ„“ใ„ฅห‹ ใ„—ใ„žห‹ ใ„“ใ„จใ„ข ใ„’ใ„งใ„ฃ ใ„ˆใ„จห‹ ใ„’ใ„งหŠ ใ„Žใ„ ห‡ ใ„•ห‹ – wว’ mรน qiรกn zhรจng zร i zhuฤn xฤซn fรน xรญ kวŽo shรฌ) meaning โ€œI am currently concentrating on reviewing for the exam.โ€

Learning how to tell time in Chinese is a valuable skill for communication and daily life. With these expressions and phrases, you can confidently ask for the time and convey it effectively, ensuring you stay punctual and well-informed in Mandarin-speaking environments.

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