Dates & Calendar
Talking about dates and time in Mandarin Chinese is essential for planning and daily life. This guide covers the key vocabulary and expressions to navigate the calendar smoothly.
Years
Years are stated digit by digit or as a whole number, followed by nián 年 to mark the year. Saying each number clearly helps avoid confusion.
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Months
Months are formed by the month number plus yuè 月. Months keep their numeric form, so you simply say the number and add yuè 月.
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English | Usage Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 一月 | yī yuè | January | 🏫 我们一月开学。 (We start school in January.) |
| 二月 | èr yuè | February | 🎉 二月有春节。 (February has the Spring Festival.) |
| 三月 | sān yuè | March | 🌸 三月花开始开。 (Flowers start blooming in March.) |
| 四月 | sì yuè | April | ☔ 四月常下雨。 (It often rains in April.) |
| 五月 | wǔ yuè | May | 🎓 五月有毕业典礼。 (There is a graduation ceremony in May.) |
| 六月 | liù yuè | June | 🏖️ 六月开始暑假。 (Summer vacation begins in June.) |
| 七月 | qī yuè | July | 🎆 七月有烟花节。 (There is a fireworks festival in July.) |
| 八月 | bā yuè | August | 🌞 八月很热。 (August is very hot.) |
| 九月 | jiǔ yuè | September | 🍂 九月秋天来了。 (Autumn comes in September.) |
| 十月 | shí yuè | October | 🎃 十月有万圣节。 (October has Halloween.) |
| 十一月 | shí yī yuè | November | 🦃 十一月感恩节。 (Thanksgiving is in November.) |
| 十二月 | shí èr yuè | December | 🎄 十二月有圣诞节。 (There is Christmas in December.) |
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Days
Days of the month are given by the day number followed by rì 日 or sometimes hào 号; both are understood. Speakers often use hào 号 in casual contexts.
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English | Usage Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 一号 | yī hào | 1st | 🥧 我一号生日。 (My birthday is on the 1st.) |
| 二号 | èr hào | 2nd | 📬 信说二号见面。 (The letter says meet on the 2nd.) |
| 三号 | sān hào | 3rd | 🧹 三号打扫学校。 (Clean school on the 3rd.) |
| 四号 | sì hào | 4th | 🏀 四号有比赛。 (There is a game on the 4th.) |
| 五号 | wǔ hào | 5th | 🎨 五号交作业。 (Submit homework on the 5th.) |
| 六号 | liù hào | 6th | 🎬 六号看电影。 (Watch a movie on the 6th.) |
| 七号 | qī hào | 7th | 🎂 七号开派对。 (Party on the 7th.) |
| 八号 | bā hào | 8th | 📚 八号图书馆还书。 (Return books on the 8th.) |
| 九号 | jiǔ hào | 9th | 🏊 九号去游泳。 (Go swimming on the 9th.) |
| 十号 | shí hào | 10th | 📝 十号考试。 (Test on the 10th.) |
| 十一号 | shí yī hào | 11th | 📅 记得十一号会议。 (Remember the meeting on the 11th.) |
| 十二号 | shí èr hào | 12th | 🌟 十二号有演出。 (There is a show on the 12th.) |
| ... | ... | ... | ... |
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Weekdays
Weekdays are named with xīngqī 星期 plus a number, where Monday is 1 and Sunday is either 7 or 日. This system is very regular and easy to learn.
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English | Usage Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 星期一 | xīngqī yī | Monday | 🏫 星期一开学。 (School starts on Monday.) |
| 星期二 | xīngqī èr | Tuesday | 🍎 星期二带水果。 (Bring fruit on Tuesday.) |
| 星期三 | xīngqī sān | Wednesday | 🎶 星期三有音乐课。 (There is music class on Wednesday.) |
| 星期四 | xīngqī sì | Thursday | 🏐 星期四打排球。 (Play volleyball on Thursday.) |
| 星期五 | xīngqī wǔ | Friday | 🎉 星期五放学晚。 (Late dismissal on Friday.) |
| 星期六 | xīngqī liù | Saturday | 🚴 星期六去骑车。 (Go biking on Saturday.) |
| 星期日 | xīngqī rì | Sunday | 📖 星期天读书。 (Read books on Sunday.) |
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Parts of the Day
Parts of the day like morning, afternoon, and evening have set expressions such as zǎoshang 早上 and wǎnshang 晚上. These phrases help specify when something happens.
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English | Usage Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 早上 | zǎoshang | morning | 🌅 早上空气很好。 (The morning air is nice.) |
| 上午 | shàngwǔ | late morning | ☕ 上午喝杯咖啡。 (Have a cup of coffee in the late morning.) |
| 中午 | zhōngwǔ | noon | 🍱 中午吃午饭。 (Eat lunch at noon.) |
| 下午 | xiàwǔ | afternoon | 📝 下午开会。 (Meeting in the afternoon.) |
| 晚上 | wǎnshang | evening | 🌇 晚上散步。 (Evening walk.) |
| 夜里 | yèlǐ | late night | 🌙 夜里安静。 (It’s quiet late at night.) |
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Asking for Dates
To ask for dates, use questions like jǐ yuè jǐ hào 几月几号 or nǎ tiān 哪天。 They prompt the listener to give a specific day. Politeness particles can soften the request.
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English | Usage Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 你哪天？ | nǐ nǎ tiān? | Which day are you? | 🤔 你哪天有空？ (Which day are you free?) |
| 星期几？ | xīngqī jǐ? | What weekday? | 🗓️ 会议星期几？ (What day is the meeting?) |
| 几号？ | jǐ hào? | What date? | 📅 活动几号？ (What date is the event?) |
| 什么时候？ | shénme shíhou? | When? | ⏰ 你什么时候来？ (When are you coming?) |
| 今天？ | jīntiān? | Today? | 🔍 今天有课吗？ (Is there class today?) |
| 明天？ | míngtiān? | Tomorrow? | 🌞 明天去图书馆。 (Go to the library tomorrow.) |
| 后天？ | hòutiān? | The day after tomorrow? | 📖 后天交作业。 (Homework due the day after tomorrow.) |
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Talking About Time
For time expressions, combine date phrases with clock times and use prepositions like zài 在 or shíhòu 时候 to situate actions. This gives a clear picture of when things occur.
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English | Usage Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 现在几点？ | xiànzài jǐ diǎn? | What time is it now? | 🕒 现在几点了？ (What time is it now?) |
| 早上九点 | zǎoshang jiǔ diǎn | 9 AM | 🚌 早上九点开车。 (The bus leaves at 9 AM.) |
| 中午十二点 | zhōngwǔ shí’èr diǎn | 12 PM | 🍽️ 中午十二点吃饭。 (Eat at 12 PM.) |
| 下午三点 | xiàwǔ sān diǎn | 3 PM | 🏃 下午三点见面。 (Meet at 3 PM.) |
| 晚上七点 | wǎnshang qī diǎn | 7 PM | 🎬 晚上七点看电影。 (Watch a movie at 7 PM.) |
| 现在开始 | xiànzài kāishǐ | Start now | ⏳ 会议现在开始。 (The meeting starts now.) |
| 马上 | mǎshàng | Right away | ⚡ 我马上去。 (I’m going right away.) |
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Summary
Mandarin expresses dates with year/month/day units, weekdays with xīngqī 星期, and parts of the day with set terms. Asking questions uses simple pattern like jǐ yuè jǐ hào 几月几号. Practice these common forms to handle everyday scheduling smoothly.
Last updated: Sun Sep 14, 2025