How to say “time” in Chinese
time
“Time” in Chinese is 时间, shí jiān: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.
How to pronounce it
时间 is read shí jiān: 2 syllables. 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”.
A 门 “door” with the 日 “sun” showing through the gap.
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 “时间”.
Examples
Sentences from the course lessons with 时间. 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?
- 别着急，还有时间。biézháojí,háiyǒushíjiānDon't worry, there's still time.
- 你来中国多长时间了？nǐláiZhōngguóduōchángshíjiānleHow long have you been in China?
- 别着急，时间有的是。biézháojí,shíjiānyǒudeshìNo rush, there's plenty of time.
- 出发的时间定了吗？chūfādeshíjiāndìnglemaHas the departure time been set yet?
More words from the lesson “Day of the week”
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 时间, pinyin shíjiān.
What does 时间 mean?
时间 (shíjiān) means “time”.
How do you write 时间?
时间 is 2 characters: 时 (shí) — time; 间 (jiān) — interval; room. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.
How do you pronounce 时间?
时间 is read shíjiān. Tones: shí — second tone, jiān — first tone. The page has a native speaker recording.
“time” in the lesson “Day of the week”
This word is from the topic “Time and the day” of HSK 1. 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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