How to say “time” in Chinese
time; when (lit.)
“Time” in Chinese is 时, shí: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.
How to pronounce it
时 is read shí. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.
How to write it
On the left, 日 “sun”.
Strokes go in order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical. Tap a character to open its page, with the strokes shown large and the words it appears in. To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for “时”.
Examples
Sentences from the course lessons with 时. Tap the sound icon to listen.
- 你什么时候有时间nǐshénmeshíhouyǒushíjiānWhen do you have time?
- 你晚上有时间吗？nǐwǎnshangyǒushíjiānmaDo you have time in the evening?
- 你什么时候出门？nǐshénmeshíhouchūménWhen are you leaving?
- 你什么时候回来？nǐshénmeshíhouhuíláiWhen will you be back?
- 别着急，还有时间。biézháojí,háiyǒushíjiānDon't worry, there's still time.
- 上课的时候请关机shàngkèdeshíhouqǐngguānjīPlease turn off your phones during class.
More characters by topic — happiness, luck, strength, nature — on the page “Chinese characters with meanings”.
More words from the lesson “Although… (but)…”
Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “time” in Chinese?
“Time” in Chinese is 时, pinyin shí.
What does 时 mean?
时 (shí) means “time; when (lit.)”.
How do you write 时?
时 is 1 character. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.
How do you pronounce 时?
时 is read shí. Tones: shí — second tone. The page has a native speaker recording.
“time” in the lesson “Although… (but)…”
This word is from the topic “Studies and tasks” of HSK 2. In the lesson you hear it in a dialogue, build a sentence with it and say it out loud. Start for free, no sign-up needed.
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