Make a time in Chinese: 点, 小时, and 星期
Hours, days, seasons, basic holidays and frequency expressions.
Editorial: Javier Garcia Floriano · Contact
Founder of Chinese Trainer. These lists come from the app's HSK inventory (hanzi, pinyin, band), not from an official exam PDF.
Making a plan in China is a 星期 day plus a clock time in 点, not a lecture on the lunar calendar. HSK 1 already gives you 今天, 明天, 现在 and 点. What breaks appointments is mixing 点 (the clock) with 小时 (how long), and not knowing that 星期日 and 周日 are the same Sunday. This page keeps hours, days, months and frequency (总是, 经常, 有时候, 从来), and drops 点心 and 地点 that matching drags in via 点. Chinese Trainer tags each row with HSK; the same words feed SRS. Save 今天 / 明天, 点 and 星期 first, then add 分钟 and 以后 once you can say “Tuesday at three” without English. On WeChat, 下午三点见 moves more calendars than memorizing the twenty-four solar terms.
Key takeaways
- 点 is clock time (三点). 小时 is duration (两个小时).
- 星期X and 周X are the same weekday; 星期日 / 周日 is Sunday.
- 上午, 下午 and 晚上 dodge 12-hour clock mix-ups.
- 从来 almost always takes 不 / 没: 从来不迟到.
- This list is this site's inventory, not the exam's official calendar.
How to use these words
The scene is an appointment closed on WeChat, not a wall clock. You type 明天有空吗？ They send 星期二下午三点, or 下周. You ask 几点？ if they only gave the day. 点 pins the moment; 小时 answers “how long does it take?”. A haircut is 一个小时; the meeting 三点开始. If you say 三个点, you have not made a plan — you have said three dots.
Weekdays count from 星期一. 星期日 and 周日 match; 周末 is the Saturday–Sunday block, not a single day. 月 is a month here (三月, 上个月, 下个月) and “moon” in other topics. 号 / 日 mark the date: 五号. Do not mix 星期五 with 五号 unless it really is Friday the 5th and you make that clear.
Frequency sits on another layer. 总是 and 每天 push habit. 经常 is “often”. 有时候 loosens it. 从来不 shuts the door. For work leave, 下周三上午 and 请假 for two hours beat a speech about your 作息. Say the salon dialogue with the chat open: the tone of 行 and 改到四点 is what you actually hear. If they write only 下午, ask 几点; if they give only 三点, ask 哪一天. The empty slot is what makes you late. 以后 and 之前 show up when you move the appointment, not the first day you learn 点.
How this list was built
The published count is 237 rows for this situation after exclusions, not the raw keyword match. We checked this inventory against the HSK bands on chinesetest.cn. HSK is the level tagged on each row. Chinese Trainer is the app whose SRS uses the same rows. Chinese time vocabulary is the situation this page teaches.
Word list
237 words in this topic (cleaned list) · HSK 1–3
Clock: 点 and 小时
| HSK | Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 期 | qī | a period of time |
| 1 | 小时 | xiǎoshí | hour |
| 1 | 现在 | xiànzài | now |
| 2 | 分钟 | fēnzhōng | minute |
| 2 | 小时候 | xiǎoshíhou | in one's childhood |
| 2 | 手表 | shǒubiǎo | wristwatch |
| 4 | 学时 | xuéshí | class hour |
| 4 | 闹钟 | nàozhōng | alarm clock |
| 6 | 钟头 | zhōngtóu | hour |
| 7 | 垫底 | diàndǐ | to put something on the bottom |
| 7 | 届时 | jièshí | when the time comes |
| 7 | 时速 | shísù | speed per hour |
| 7 | 高峰期 | gāofēngqī | peak period |
13 words · Practice them in the app
Today, yesterday, tomorrow
| HSK | Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 今 | jīn | modern |
| 1 | 上午 | shàngwǔ | morning |
| 1 | 今天 | jīntiān | today |
| 1 | 早上 | zǎoshang | morning |
| 1 | 明天 | míngtiān | tomorrow |
| 1 | 昨天 | zuótiān | yesterday |
| 2 | 晨 | chén | dawn |
| 2 | 早晨 | zǎochen | early morning |
| 3 | 至今 | zhìjīn | so far |
| 4 | 如今 | rújīn | nowadays |
| 4 | 未来 | wèilái | future |
| 5 | 旦 | dàn | dawn |
| 5 | 今日 | jīnrì | today |
| 5 | 清晨 | qīngchén | early morning |
| 6 | 早晚 | zǎowǎn | morning and evening |
| 6 | 明日 | míngrì | tomorrow |
| 7 | 从早到晚 | cóngzǎo-dàowǎn | from morning till night |
| 7 | 次日 | cìrì | next day |
18 words · Practice them in the app
星期 and 周
| HSK | Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 星期 | xīngqī | week |
| 1 | 星期天 | xīngqītiān | Sunday |
| 1 | 星期日 | xīngqīrì | Sunday |
| 2 | 上周 | shàng zhōu | last week |
| 2 | 下周 | xià zhōu | next week |
| 2 | 周末 | zhōumò | weekend |
| 5 | 礼拜 | lǐbài | to attend a religious service |
7 words · Practice them in the app
Month, year, seasons
| HSK | Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 年 | nián | year |
| 1 | 月 | yuè | moon |
| 1 | 今年 | jīnnián | this year |
| 1 | 半年 | bàn nián | half a year |
| 1 | 去年 | qùnián | last year |
| 1 | 新年 | xīnnián | New Year |
| 1 | 明年 | míngnián | next year |
| 2 | 冬 | dōng | winter |
| 2 | 秋 | qiū | autumn |
| 2 | 全年 | quánnián | the whole year |
| 2 | 前年 | qiánnián | the year before last |
| 2 | 夏天 | xiàtiān | verano |
| 2 | 年级 | niánjí | grade |
| 2 | 春天 | chūntiān | spring |
| 2 | 春节 | Chūnjié | Spring Festival |
| 2 | 月份 | yuèfèn | month |
| 2 | 过年 | guònián | to celebrate the Chinese New Year |
| 3 | 后年 | hòunián | the year after next |
| 3 | 年初 | niánchū | beginning of the year |
| 3 | 年底 | niándǐ | the end of the year |
| 4 | 泉 | quán | spring |
| 4 | 上个月 | shàng ge yuè | last month |
| 4 | 下个月 | xià ge yuè | next month |
| 4 | 夏季 | xiàjì | verano |
| 4 | 学年 | xuénián | academic year |
| 4 | 春季 | chūnjì | springtime |
| 4 | 暑假 | shǔjià | summer vacation |
| 4 | 月底 | yuèdǐ | end of the month |
| 5 | 中秋节 | Zhōngqiū Jié | the Mid-Autumn Festival on 15th of 8th lunar month |
| 5 | 元旦 | Yuándàn | New Year's Day |
| 5 | 年前 | niánqián | by the end of the year |
| 5 | 除夕 | chúxī | lunar New Year's Eve |
| 7 | 腊 | là | December |
| 7 | 一年到头 | yīnián-dàotóu | all year round |
| 7 | 上旬 | shàngxún | first third of a month |
| 7 | 下旬 | xiàxún | last third of the month |
| 7 | 中旬 | zhōngxún | middle of the month |
| 7 | 夏令营 | xiàlìngyíng | summer camp |
| 7 | 年画 | niánhuà | New Year picture |
| 7 | 年终 | niánzhōng | end of the year |
| 7 | 拜年 | bàinián | to pay a New Year call |
| 7 | 暑期 | shǔqī | summer vacation time |
| 7 | 月初 | yuèchū | start of month |
| 7 | 来年 | láinián | next year |
| 7 | 腊月 | làyuè | twelfth lunar month |
| 7 | 逐年 | zhúnián | year after year |
| 7 | 风和日丽 | fēnghé-rìlì | moderate wind |
47 words · Practice them in the app
Morning, afternoon, night
| HSK | Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 晚 | wǎn | night |
| 1 | 下午 | xiàwǔ | afternoon |
| 1 | 晚上 | wǎnshang | evening |
| 2 | 夜 | yè | night |
| 2 | 以后 | yǐhòu | after |
| 2 | 午睡 | wǔshuì | to take a nap in the afternoon |
| 2 | 半夜 | bànyè | midnight |
| 2 | 后来 | hòulái | afterwards |
| 2 | 夜里 | yèlǐ | during the night |
| 2 | 晚报 | wǎnbào | evening newspaper |
| 4 | 迟 | chí | tardy |
| 4 | 来不及 | láibují | there's not enough time |
| 4 | 迟到 | chídào | to arrive late |
| 5 | 夕 | xī | evening |
| 5 | 夜间 | yèjiān | nighttime |
| 6 | 傍晚 | bàngwǎn | in the evening |
| 6 | 再说 | zàishuō | to say again |
| 6 | 开夜车 | kāi yèchē | to burn the midnight oil |
| 6 | 待会儿 | dāihuìr | in a moment |
| 6 | 日夜 | rìyè | day and night |
| 6 | 黑夜 | hēiyè | night |
| 7 | 宵 | xiāo | night |
| 7 | 其后 | qíhòu | next |
| 7 | 夜以继日 | yèyǐjìrì | night and day |
| 7 | 夜晚 | yèwǎn | night |
| 7 | 当晚 | dàngwǎn | the same evening |
| 7 | 彻夜 | chèyè | the whole night |
| 7 | 昼夜 | zhòuyè | day and night |
| 7 | 晚间 | wǎnjiān | evening |
| 7 | 深夜 | shēnyè | very late at night |
| 7 | 熬夜 | áoyè | to stay up late or all night |
| 7 | 连夜 | liányè | that very night |
| 7 | 迟早 | chízǎo | sooner or later |
| 7 | 通宵 | tōngxiāo | all night |
| 7 | 黄昏 | huánghūn | dusk |
35 words · Practice them in the app
Frequency
| HSK | Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 常 | cháng | common |
| 1 | 常常 | chángcháng | frequently |
| 1 | 有时 | yǒushí | sometimes |
| 1 | 有时候 | yǒushíhou | sometimes |
| 2 | 经常 | jīngcháng | frequently |
| 2 | 老是 | lǎoshì | always |
| 3 | 从来 | cónglái | always |
| 3 | 总是 | zǒngshì | always |
| 5 | 不曾 | bùcéng | hasn't yet |
| 5 | 再也 | zài yě | egain |
| 5 | 时常 | shícháng | often |
| 5 | 频繁 | pínfán | frequently |
| 6 | 从不 | cóng bù | never |
| 6 | 从没 | cóng méi | never |
| 6 | 时时 | shíshí | often |
| 7 | 勿 | wù | must not |
| 7 | 屡 | lǚ | frequently |
| 7 | 万古长青 | wàngǔ-chángqīng | enduring through the ages |
| 7 | 从未 | cóngwèi | never |
| 7 | 从来不 | cónglái bù | never |
| 7 | 历来 | lìlái | always |
| 7 | 向来 | xiànglái | always |
| 7 | 时好时坏 | shíhǎo-shíhuài | sometimes good |
| 7 | 永不 | yǒng bù | never |
24 words · Practice them in the app
Other words in this topic
| HSK | Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 日 | rì | sun |
| 1 | 时 | shí | time |
| 1 | 半天 | bàntiān | half of the day |
| 1 | 天气 | tiānqì | weather |
| 1 | 放学 | fàngxué | to dismiss students at the end of the school day |
| 1 | 时候 | shíhou | time |
| 1 | 时间 | shíjiān | time |
| 1 | 没事儿 | méishìr | to have spare time |
| 1 | 白天 | báitiān | daytime |
| 2 | 久 | jiǔ | long ago |
| 2 | 晴 | qíng | clear weather |
| 2 | 不一会儿 | bù yīhuìr | in a short while |
| 2 | 多久 | duōjiǔ | how long? |
| 2 | 好久 | hǎojiǔ | for a long time |
| 2 | 当时 | dāngshí | then |
| 2 | 打工 | dǎgōng | to work a part-time job |
| 2 | 晴天 | qíngtiān | clear sky |
| 2 | 有空儿 | yǒukòngr | to be free |
| 2 | 那会儿 | nàhuìr | at that time |
| 2 | 那时 | nà shí | then |
| 2 | 那时候 | nà shíhou | at that time |
| 2 | 阴天 | yīntiān | cloudy day |
| 3 | 国庆 | guóqìng | National Day |
| 3 | 始终 | shǐzhōng | from beginning to end |
| 3 | 工夫 | gōngfu | period of time |
| 3 | 提前 | tíqián | to shift to an earlier date |
| 3 | 整天 | zhěngtiān | all day long |
| 3 | 日常 | rìcháng | day-to-day |
| 3 | 早已 | zǎoyǐ | for a long time |
| 3 | 空儿 | kòngr | spare time |
| 4 | 业余 | yèyú | in one's spare time |
| 4 | 临时 | línshí | as the time draws near |
| 4 | 期间 | qījiān | period of time |
| 4 | 来得及 | láidejí | to have enough time |
| 5 | 一向 | yīxiàng | a period of time in the recent past |
| 5 | 岁月 | suìyuè | years |
| 5 | 当前 | dāngqián | the present time |
| 5 | 时光 | shíguāng | time |
| 5 | 暂停 | zàntíng | to suspend |
| 6 | 趟 | tàng / tāng | time |
| 6 | 一时 | yīshí | a period of time |
| 6 | 假日 | jiàrì | a holiday |
| 6 | 同期 | tóngqī | the corresponding time period |
| 6 | 圣诞节 | Shèngdàn Jié | Christmas time |
| 6 | 定时 | dìngshí | to fix a time |
| 6 | 当天 | dàngtiān | the same day |
| 6 | 时节 | shíjié | season |
| 6 | 清明节 | Qīngmíng Jié | Tomb-Sweeping Day |
| 6 | 赶上 | gǎnshàng | to keep up with |
| 7 | 兼 | jiān | both |
| 7 | 宙 | zhòu | space |
| 7 | 旬 | xún | ten-day period |
| 7 | 昼 | zhòu | daytime |
| 7 | 一天到晚 | yītiān-dàowǎn | all day long |
| 7 | 一度 | yīdù | for a time |
| 7 | 不假思索 | bùjiǎ-sīsuǒ | to act without taking time to think |
| 7 | 与日俱增 | yǔrì-jùzēng | to increase steadily |
| 7 | 与时俱进 | yǔshí-jùjìn | abreast of modern developments |
| 7 | 专职 | zhuānzhí | special duty |
| 7 | 久违 | jiǔwéi | for a long time |
| 7 | 争分夺秒 | zhēngfēn-duómiǎo | lit. fight minutes |
| 7 | 人次 | réncì | person-times |
| 7 | 佳节 | jiājié | festive day |
| 7 | 兼任 | jiānrèn | to hold a concurrent post |
| 7 | 兼顾 | jiāngù | to handle two or more responsibilities at the same time |
| 7 | 前夕 | qiánxī | eve |
| 7 | 勤工俭学 | qíngōng-jiǎnxué | to work part-time while studying |
| 7 | 平日 | píngrì | ordinary day |
| 7 | 延误 | yánwù | to postpone |
| 7 | 开张 | kāizhāng | to open a business |
| 7 | 当今 | dāngjīn | the present time |
| 7 | 当日 | dāngrì | that very day |
| 7 | 成天 | chéngtiān | all day long |
| 7 | 拍板 | pāibǎn | wooden clappers |
| 7 | 措手不及 | cuòshǒu-bùjí | no time to deal with it |
| 7 | 改日 | gǎirì | another day |
| 7 | 无所事事 | wúsuǒshìshì | to have nothing to do |
| 7 | 日后 | rìhòu | sometime |
| 7 | 日复一日 | rìfùyīrì | day after day |
| 7 | 日新月异 | rìxīn-yuèyì | daily renewal |
| 7 | 日益 | rìyì | day by day |
| 7 | 日趋 | rìqū | day by day |
| 7 | 时空 | shíkōng | time and place |
| 7 | 时隔 | shí gé | separated in time |
| 7 | 朝夕相处 | zhāoxī-xiāngchǔ | to spend all one's time together |
| 7 | 段落 | duànluò | phase |
| 7 | 纪念日 | jìniànrì | day of commemoration |
| 7 | 耗时 | hàoshí | to take a period of |
| 7 | 计时 | jìshí | to measure time |
| 7 | 走弯路 | zǒu wānlù | to take an indirect route |
| 7 | 跟上 | gēnshang | to catch up with |
| 7 | 跟不上 | gēn bu shàng | not able to keep up with |
| 7 | 长期以来 | chángqī yǐlái | for a long time |
93 words · Practice them in the app
Example sentences
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 明天有空吗？ | Míngtiān yǒu kòng ma? | Are you free tomorrow? |
| 星期二下午三点见。 | Xīngqī'èr xiàwǔ sān diǎn jiàn. | See you Tuesday at 3 p.m. |
| 几点开始？ | Jǐ diǎn kāishǐ? | What time does it start? |
| 要一个小时。 | Yào yí ge xiǎoshí. | It takes an hour. |
| 现在几点？ | Xiànzài jǐ diǎn? | What time is it now? |
| 我经常迟到。 | Wǒ jīngcháng chídào. | I'm often late. |
| 我从来不加班。 | Wǒ cónglái bù jiābān. | I never work overtime. |
| 下周三上午请假。 | Xià zhōusān shàngwǔ qǐngjià. | I'm taking Wednesday morning off. |
| 周末有时候在家。 | Zhōumò yǒushíhou zài jiā. | At weekends I sometimes stay home. |
| 改到四点，行吗？ | Gǎi dào sì diǎn, xíng ma? | Move it to four — OK? |
Dialogue: booking a salon slot on WeChat
Chat with the salon. You need the day, the 点, and how long.
| Speaker | Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| You | 明天有空吗？我想剪头发。 | Míngtiān yǒu kòng ma? Wǒ xiǎng jiǎn tóufa. | Any space tomorrow? I want a haircut. |
| Salon | 明天星期二。下午三点可以。 | Míngtiān xīngqī'èr. Xiàwǔ sān diǎn kěyǐ. | Tomorrow is Tuesday. 3 p.m. works. |
| You | 要几个小时？ | Yào jǐ ge xiǎoshí? | How many hours does it take? |
| Salon | 一个小时。经常只要四十分钟。 | Yí ge xiǎoshí. Jīngcháng zhǐ yào sìshí fēnzhōng. | An hour. Often just forty minutes. |
| You | 三点有点早。改到四点，行吗？ | Sān diǎn yǒudiǎn zǎo. Gǎi dào sì diǎn, xíng ma? | Three is a bit early. Four o'clock OK? |
| Salon | 四点也行。周末人多。 | Sì diǎn yě xíng. Zhōumò rén duō. | Four works too. Weekends are busy. |
| You | 好。我有时候迟到，不好意思。 | Hǎo. Wǒ yǒushíhou chídào, bù hǎoyìsi. | OK. I'm sometimes late — sorry. |
| Salon | 没关系。星期二下午四点见。 | Méi guānxi. Xīngqī'èr xiàwǔ sì diǎn jiàn. | No problem. Tuesday 4 p.m. |
| You | 谢谢。再见。 | Xièxie. Zàijiàn. | Thanks. Bye. |
| Salon | 明天见。 | Míngtiān jiàn. | See you tomorrow. |
Measure words for this topic
小时 and 钟头 take 个: 两个小时. 分钟 often drops it in fast speech (五分钟). 次 counts repeats (来过三次). 点 is not a classifier: it marks clock time.
Common mistakes
| Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 三个点 for a three-hour meeting | 三个小时 / 三点开始 | 点 is the clock hand. Duration is 小时. |
| 星期八 | 星期日 / 周日 | The Chinese week has no day 8. Sunday is 日. |
| 星期五号 as a date | 五号 or 星期五 | Mixing weekday and month-day without 月/号 confuses everyone. |
| 从来不 without 不/没 already inside | 从来不 / 从来没 | 从来 wants a negative. 我从来迟到 sounds unfinished. |
| 周末 as “Sunday only” | 星期六和星期日 | 周末 is the weekend block, not a single day. |
FAQ
What is the difference between 点 and 小时?
点 says when (三点). 小时 says how long (两个小时). To meet, use 点; to warn about a procedure, 小时.
Are 星期 and 周 the same?
For weekdays, yes: 星期三 = 周三. 周 also means “week” in 下周. 星期日 and 周日 are Sunday.
How do I say an afternoon time without mix-ups?
Put 下午 or 晚上 in front: 下午三点, 晚上七点. A bare 12-hour clock gets misread.
Which HSK level is enough to make a plan?
HSK 1–2 if you can handle 今天, 点 and 星期. HSK 3 adds 以后, 之前 and more frequency.
How do I practice time words?
Save 点, 星期 and 今天 in Chinese Trainer SRS and type three fake WeChat appointments. Say the salon dialogue out loud.
Practice in the app
The same time rows feed Chinese Trainer SRS. Start HSK 1–2 free, save 点 and 星期, and run today's deck before the next appointment.