Dates in Chinese (Years, Months, Days)
Chinese

Dates in Chinese (Years, Months, Days)

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Dates are a fundamental part of our daily lives, helping us keep track of important events and occasions. Understanding how to express and write dates in the Chinese language is a valuable skill, especially for those looking to communicate effectively with native speakers. In this comprehensive guide, we will delve into the nuances of expressing dates in Chinese, covering years, months, days, and more.

The Chinese Date Format

In the Chinese language, dates are structured in a specific order: Year – Month – Date. This is represented by the Chinese characters ๅนด (ใ„‹ใ„งใ„ขหŠ – niรกn) for year, ๆœˆ (ใ„ฉใ„ห‹ – yuรจ) for month, and ๆ—ฅ (ใ„–ห‹ – rรฌ) or ่™Ÿ (ใ„ใ„ ห‹ – hร o) for day. Mastering this format is essential for conveying dates in Chinese effectively. Let’s break down each component in more detail.

dates in chinese

How to Write the Year in Chinese

When expressing the year in Chinese, you read each number in the year individually and then append the character ๅนด (ใ„‹ใ„งใ„ขหŠ – niรกn).

year in chinese

For instance:

  • 2023ๅนด is read as ใ„ฆห‹ ใ„Œใ„งใ„ฅหŠ ใ„ฆห‹ ใ„™ใ„ข ใ„‹ใ„งใ„ขหŠ – รจr lรญng รจr sฤn niรกn.

In formal contexts, such as wedding invitations or official documents, the year is often written using characters. For example, 2023 can be written as ไบŒ้›ถไบŒไธ‰ๅนด. It’s crucial to remember that when speaking or writing the year, the character ๅนด is mandatory. Omitting it would render the numbers as a meaningless string. For example:

  • ไปŠๅนดๆ˜ฏๅ“ชไธ€ๅนด๏ผŸ (ใ„ใ„งใ„ฃ ใ„‹ใ„งใ„ขหŠ ใ„•ห‹ ใ„‹ใ„šห‡ ใ„ง ใ„‹ใ„งใ„ขหŠ ๏ผŸ) – What year is it this year?
  • ไปŠๅนดๆ˜ฏ2023ๅนด (ใ„ใ„งใ„ฃ ใ„‹ใ„งใ„ขหŠ ใ„•ห‹ 2023 ใ„‹ใ„งใ„ขหŠ) – This year is 2023.

Months in Chinese

Expressing months in Chinese is straightforward. You simply add the character ๆœˆ (ใ„ฉใ„ห‹ – yuรจ) after the number representing the month.

month in chinese

Here are the months in Chinese:

Month (Chinese)BopomofoPinyinMonth (English)
ไธ€ๆœˆใ„ง ใ„ฉใ„ห‹yฤซ yuรจJanuary
ไบŒๆœˆใ„ฆห‹ ใ„ฉใ„ห‹รจr yuรจFebruary
ไธ‰ๆœˆใ„™ใ„ข ใ„ฉใ„ห‹sฤn yuรจMarch
ๅ››ๆœˆใ„™ห‹ ใ„ฉใ„ห‹sรฌ yuรจApril
ไบ”ๆœˆใ„จห‡ ใ„ฉใ„ห‹wว” yuรจMay
ๅ…ญๆœˆใ„Œใ„งใ„กห‹ ใ„ฉใ„ห‹liรน yuรจJune
ไธƒๆœˆใ„‘ใ„ง ใ„ฉใ„ห‹qฤซ yuรจJuly
ๅ…ซๆœˆใ„…ใ„š ใ„ฉใ„ห‹bฤ yuรจAugust
ไนๆœˆใ„ใ„งใ„กห‡ ใ„ฉใ„ห‹jiว” yuรจSeptember
ๅๆœˆใ„•หŠ ใ„ฉใ„ห‹shรญ yuรจOctober
ๅไธ€ๆœˆใ„•หŠ ใ„ง ใ„ฉใ„ห‹shรญ yฤซ yuรจNovember
ๅไบŒๆœˆใ„•หŠ ใ„ฆห‹ ใ„ฉใ„ห‹shรญ รจr yuรจDecember

Days in Chinese

Dates in Chinese are expressed by combining the number representing the date with either the character ๆ—ฅ (ใ„–ห‹ – rรฌ) or ่™Ÿ (ใ„ใ„ ห‹ – hร o). For instance, the 21st can be written as 21ๆ—ฅ or 21่™Ÿ. Both are commonly used, with the only difference being that ๆ—ฅ is more common in written language, while ่™Ÿ is more prevalent in spoken language.

This is also an excellent opportunity to learn vocabulary related to yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Here are sample sentences:

  • ๆ˜จๅคฉๅๅ…ญ่™Ÿ (ใ„—ใ„จใ„›หŠ ใ„Šใ„งใ„ข ใ„•หŠ ใ„Œใ„งใ„กห‹ ใ„ใ„ ห‹) – Yesterday was the 16th.
  • ไปŠๅคฉๅไธƒ่™Ÿ (ใ„ใ„งใ„ฃ ใ„Šใ„งใ„ข ใ„•หŠ ใ„‘ใ„ง ใ„ใ„ ห‹) – Today is the 17th.
  • ๆ˜Žๅคฉๅๅ…ซ่™Ÿ (ใ„‡ใ„งใ„ฅหŠ ใ„Šใ„งใ„ข ใ„•หŠ ใ„…ใ„š ใ„ใ„ ห‹) – Tomorrow is the 18th.
ChineseBopomofoPinyinEnglish
ๅ‰ๅคฉใ„‘ใ„งใ„ขหŠ ใ„Šใ„งใ„ขqiรกn tiฤnThe day before yesterday
ๆ˜จๅคฉใ„—ใ„จใ„›หŠ ใ„Šใ„งใ„ขzuรณ tiฤnYesterday
ไปŠๅคฉใ„ใ„งใ„ฃ ใ„Šใ„งใ„ขjฤซn tiฤnToday
ๆ˜Žๅคฉใ„‡ใ„งใ„ฅหŠ ใ„Šใ„งใ„ขmรญng tiฤnTomorrow
ๅพŒๅคฉใ„ใ„กห‹ ใ„Šใ„งใ„ขhรฒu tiฤnThe day after tomorrow

Days of the Week in Chinese

The days of the week in Chinese are as straightforward as the months. There are two common ways to say “week” in Chinese: ็ฆฎๆ‹œ (ใ„Œใ„งห‡ ใ„…ใ„žห‹ – lว bร i) is more commonly used in Taiwan, while ๆ˜ŸๆœŸ (ใ„’ใ„งใ„ฅ ใ„‘ใ„งหŠ – xฤซng qรญ) is more commonly used in China.

week in chinese

To express the days of the week, simply add the numbers from one to six after “week” for Monday to Saturday, and either ๅคฉ or ๆ—ฅ for Sunday (here again, the difference lies in whether it’s spoken or written language, with the former being more common in spoken language, while the latter is more prevalent in written language).

Day (Chinese)BopomofoPinyinDay (English)
็ฆฎๆ‹œไธ€ใ„Œใ„งห‡ ใ„…ใ„žห‹ ใ„งlว bร i yฤซMonday
็ฆฎๆ‹œไบŒใ„Œใ„งห‡ ใ„…ใ„žห‹ ใ„ฆห‹lว bร i รจrTuesday
็ฆฎๆ‹œไธ‰ใ„Œใ„งห‡ ใ„…ใ„žห‹ ใ„™ใ„ขlว bร i sฤnWednesday
็ฆฎๆ‹œๅ››ใ„Œใ„งห‡ ใ„…ใ„žห‹ ใ„™ห‹lว bร i sรฌThursday
็ฆฎๆ‹œไบ”ใ„Œใ„งห‡ ใ„…ใ„žห‹ ใ„จห‡lว bร i wว”Friday
็ฆฎๆ‹œๅ…ญใ„Œใ„งห‡ ใ„…ใ„žห‹ ใ„Œใ„งใ„กห‹lว bร i liรนSaturday
็ฆฎๆ‹œๅคฉใ„Œใ„งห‡ ใ„…ใ„žห‹ ใ„Šใ„งใ„ขlว bร i tiฤnSunday
็ฆฎๆ‹œๆ—ฅใ„Œใ„งห‡ ใ„…ใ„žห‹ ใ„–ห‹lว bร i rรฌSunday
Day (Chinese)BopomofoPinyinDay (English)
ๆ˜ŸๆœŸไธ€ใ„’ใ„งใ„ฅ ใ„‘ใ„ง หŠ ใ„งxฤซng qรญ yฤซMonday
ๆ˜ŸๆœŸไบŒใ„’ใ„งใ„ฅ ใ„‘ใ„งหŠ ใ„ฆห‹xฤซng qรญ รจrTuesday
ๆ˜ŸๆœŸไธ‰ใ„’ใ„งใ„ฅ ใ„‘ใ„งหŠ ใ„™ใ„ขxฤซng qรญ sฤnWednesday
ๆ˜ŸๆœŸๅ››ใ„’ใ„งใ„ฅ ใ„‘ใ„ง หŠ ใ„™ห‹xฤซng qรญ sรฌThursday
ๆ˜ŸๆœŸไบ”ใ„’ใ„งใ„ฅ ใ„‘ใ„ง หŠ ใ„จห‡xฤซng qรญ wว”Friday
ๆ˜ŸๆœŸๅ…ญใ„’ใ„งใ„ฅ ใ„‘ใ„ง หŠ ใ„Œใ„งใ„กห‹xฤซng qรญ liรนSaturday
ๆ˜ŸๆœŸๅคฉใ„’ใ„งใ„ฅ ใ„‘ใ„งหŠ ใ„Šใ„งใ„ขxฤซng qรญ tiฤnSunday
ๆ˜ŸๆœŸๆ—ฅใ„’ใ„งใ„ฅ ใ„‘ใ„งหŠ ใ„–ห‹xฤซng qรญ rรฌSunday

An alternative way to express the days of the week, which is commonly used in written language, is to use ้€ฑ (ใ„“ใ„ก – zhลu).

Day (Chinese)BopomofoPinyinDay (English)
้€ฑไธ€ใ„“ใ„ก ใ„งzhลu yฤซMonday
้€ฑไบŒใ„“ใ„ก ใ„ฆห‹zhลu รจrTuesday
้€ฑไธ‰ใ„“ใ„ก ใ„™ใ„ขzhลu sฤnWednesday
้€ฑๅ››ใ„“ใ„ก ใ„™ห‹zhลu sรฌThursday
้€ฑไบ”ใ„“ใ„ก ใ„จห‡zhลu wว”Friday
้€ฑๅ…ญใ„“ใ„ก ใ„Œใ„งใ„กห‹zhลu liรนSaturday
้€ฑๆ—ฅใ„“ใ„ก ใ„–ห‹zhลu rรฌSunday

Note that, since this is mostly written language, on this occasion, Sunday can only be expressed with ๆ—ฅ.

Asking About Dates in Chinese

Once you’ve learned how to express dates, months, years, and days of the week, asking about this information becomes easy with the addition of one more character: ๅนพ (ใ„ใ„งห‡ – jว), which is a question word for numbers. Here are some examples of questions related to dates in Chinese:

  • ๅนพๆœˆๅนพ่™Ÿ๏ผŸ (ใ„ใ„งห‡ ใ„ฉใ„ห‹ ใ„ใ„งห‡ ใ„ใ„ ห‹ ๏ผŸ) – What’s the month and date?
  • ไปŠๅคฉๅนพๆœˆๅนพ่™Ÿๆ˜ŸๆœŸๅนพ๏ผŸ (ใ„ใ„งใ„ฃ ใ„Šใ„งใ„ข ใ„ใ„งห‡ ใ„ฉใ„ห‹ ใ„ใ„งห‡ ใ„ใ„ ห‹ ใ„’ใ„งใ„ฅ ใ„‘ใ„ง ใ„ใ„งห‡ ๏ผŸ) – What’s today’s date? (asking about month, date, and day of the week)
  • ็ฆฎๆ‹œๅนพ๏ผŸ (ใ„Œใ„งห‡ ใ„…ใ„žห‹ ใ„ใ„งห‡ ๏ผŸ) – What day of the week?
  • ไปŠๅคฉ็ฆฎๆ‹œๅนพ๏ผŸ (ใ„ใ„งใ„ฃ ใ„Šใ„งใ„ข ใ„Œใ„งห‡ ใ„…ใ„žห‹ ใ„ใ„งห‡ ๏ผŸ) – What’s the day of the week?

Extra Vocabulary

Here you will find a list of some extra vocabulary related to dates.

ChineseBopomofoPinyinEnglish
ๆ—ฅๆœŸใ„–ห‹ ใ„‘ใ„งrรฌ qฤซDate
ๆ—ฅๆ›†ใ„–ห‹ ใ„Œใ„งห‹rรฌ lรฌCalendar (Gregorian)
่พฒๆ›†ใ„‹ใ„จใ„ฅหŠ ใ„Œใ„งห‹nรณng lรฌLunar calendar
ๅ‘จๆœซ้€ฑๆœซใ„“ใ„ก ใ„‡ใ„›ห‹ ใ„“ใ„ก ใ„‡ใ„›ห‹zhลu mรฒWeekend
้€™ๅ€‹็ฆฎๆ‹œใ„“ใ„œห‹ ใ„ใ„œห‹ ใ„Œใ„งห‡ ใ„…ใ„žห‹zhรจ ge lว bร iThis week
ไธŠๅ€‹็ฆฎๆ‹œใ„•ใ„คห‹ ใ„ใ„œห‹ ใ„Œใ„งห‡ ใ„…ใ„žห‹shร ng gรจ lว bร iLast week
ไธ‹ๅ€‹็ฆฎๆ‹œใ„’ใ„งใ„šห‹ ใ„ใ„œห‹ ใ„Œใ„งห‡ ใ„…ใ„žห‹xiร  gรจ lว bร iNext week
ๆœฌๆœˆใ„…ใ„ฃห‡ ใ„ฉใ„ห‹bฤ›n yuรจThis month
ไธŠๅ€‹ๆœˆใ„•ใ„คห‹ ใ„ใ„œห‹ ใ„ฉใ„ห‹shร ng gรจ yuรจLast month
ไธ‹ๅ€‹ๆœˆใ„’ใ„งใ„šห‹ ใ„ใ„œห‹ ใ„ฉใ„ห‹xiร  gรจ yuรจNext month
ไปŠๅนดใ„ใ„งใ„ฃ ใ„‹ใ„งใ„ขหŠjฤซn niรกnThis year
ๅŽปๅนดใ„‘ใ„ฉห‹ ใ„‹ใ„งใ„ขหŠqรน niรกnLast year
ๆ˜Žๅนดใ„‡ใ„งใ„ฅหŠ ใ„‹ใ„งใ„ขหŠmรญng niรกnNext year
้–“้š”ๅนดใ„ใ„งใ„ข ใ„ใ„œหŠ ใ„‹ใ„งใ„ขหŠjiร n gรฉ niรกnGap year
็”Ÿๆ—ฅใ„•ใ„ฅ ใ„–ห‹shฤ“ng rรฌBirthday
ๅ‡บ็”Ÿๆ—ฅๆœŸใ„”ใ„จ ใ„•ใ„ฅ ใ„–ห‹ ใ„‘ใ„งchลซ shฤ“ng rรฌ qรญDate of birth

Summary

Learning to express and understand dates in Chinese is an essential skill that can help you navigate Chinese culture and language more effectively. Whether you’re planning an event, scheduling appointments, or simply having a conversation, mastering the art of expressing dates will enhance your language abilities and enable you to connect with native speakers more seamlessly. So, practice expressing dates in Chinese and use your newfound knowledge to celebrate unique events and engage in meaningful conversations.

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