#1 Best Guide: Telling The Time In Chinese

Planning a trip to China or Taiwan soon? Then, learning time-related vocabulary and idiomatic expressions in Mandarin Chinese will ensure your itinerary runs smoothly and you arrive at all the attractions on time. If you don’t know how to tell time and arrive too early or too late, you might end up waiting around or not being able to go altogether. Here’s a simple guide to help you tell the time in Chinese so you can always be on time!

Telling The Time In Chinese: Numbers

Before we dive into learning how to tell the time in Chinese, it’s crucial to know how to say the numbers from 1 to 12, as clocks only go up to 12 o’clock. If you’re not quite familiar with counting in Chinese yet, don’t fret — we’ve got you covered with the basics. Understanding the Chinese time system is also important for daily life, as it helps you manage your time, organize meet-ups, and use time-related vocabulary in Mandarin.

Here’s how to say 1 to 12 in Chinese:

• 一 (yī) – One
• 二 (èr) – Two
• 三 (sān) – Three
• 四 (sì) – Four
• 五 (wǔ) – Five
• 六 (liù) – Six
• 七 (qī) – Seven
• 八 (bā) – Eight
• 九 (jiǔ) – Nine
• 十 (shí) – Ten
• 十一 (shí yī) – Eleven
• 十二 (shí èr) – Twelve

Telling The Time In Chinese: AM And PM

Now that you know how to say the numbers from 1 to 12 in Chinese, it’s time to learn how to specify whether you’re talking about 12:00 AM at midnight or 12:00 PM in the afternoon. This is crucial because if you get it wrong, you might end up with a confusing situation — for example, telling your friends to meet at 7:00 AM for a morning jog, but they think it’s 7:00 PM!

Unlike English, Chinese doesn’t have exact equivalents for AM and PM. Instead, Chinese uses 上午 (shàngwǔ) for AM, which literally means “before noon,” and 下午 (xiàwǔ) for PM, which means “afternoon.” Quite fitting, isn’t it?

Understanding AM and PM is essential for organizing meet-ups and other daily activities in everyday life in China.

Morning (AM)

• 1:00 AM: 上午一点 (shàngwǔ yī diǎn)
• 2:00 AM: 上午两点 (shàngwǔ liǎng diǎn)
• 3:00 AM: 上午三点 (shàngwǔ sān diǎn)
• 4:00 AM: 上午四点 (shàngwǔ sì diǎn)
• 5:00 AM: 上午五点 (shàngwǔ wǔ diǎn)
• 6:00 AM: 上午六点 (shàngwǔ liù diǎn)
• 7:00 AM: 上午七点 (shàngwǔ qī diǎn)
• 8:00 AM: 上午八点 (shàngwǔ bā diǎn)
• 9:00 AM: 上午九点 (shàngwǔ jiǔ diǎn)
• 10:00 AM: 上午十点 (shàngwǔ shí diǎn)
• 11:00 AM: 上午十一点 (shàngwǔ shí yī diǎn)
• 12:00 AM: 上午十二点 (shàngwǔ shí èr diǎn)

Afternoon (PM)

• 1:00 PM: 下午一点 (xiàwǔ yī diǎn)
• 2:00 PM: 下午两点 (xiàwǔ liǎng diǎn)
• 3:00 PM: 下午三点 (xiàwǔ sān diǎn)
• 4:00 PM: 下午四点 (xiàwǔ sì diǎn)
• 5:00 PM: 下午五点 (xiàwǔ wǔ diǎn)
• 6:00 PM: 下午六点 (xiàwǔ liù diǎn)
• 7:00 PM: 下午七点 (xiàwǔ qī diǎn)
• 8:00 PM: 下午八点 (xiàwǔ bā diǎn)
• 9:00 PM: 下午九点 (xiàwǔ jiǔ diǎn)
• 10:00 PM: 下午十点 (xiàwǔ shí diǎn)
• 11:00 PM: 下午十一点 (xiàwǔ shí yī diǎn)
• 12:00 PM: 下午十二点 (xiàwǔ shí èr diǎn)

Telling The Time In Chinese: Hours, Minutes, Seconds, Measure Words

Now, it’s time for you to learn how to express time more specifically in Chinese, like specifying the exact time, including the hour, minute, and second. This will allow you to express time precisely, like 1:15 PM or 2:30 PM. Otherwise, you’ll be stuck with only knowing how to express time in whole hours, such as 1:00 PM or 2:00 PM!

Hours (小时, Xiǎoshí)

• 一点 (yī diǎn) – 1 o’clock
• 两点 (liǎng diǎn) – 2 o’clock
• 三点 (sān diǎn) – 3 o’clock
• 四点 (sì diǎn) – 4 o’clock
• 五点 (wǔ diǎn) – 5 o’clock
• 六点 (liù diǎn) – 6 o’clock
• 七点 (qī diǎn) – 7 o’clock
• 八点 (bā diǎn) – 8 o’clock
• 九点 (jiǔ diǎn) – 9 o’clock
• 十点 (shí diǎn) – 10 o’clock
• 十一点 (shí yī diǎn) – 11 o’clock
• 十二点 (shí èr diǎn) – 12 o’clock

Using the correct measure word is essential for expressing hours accurately in Chinese.

Minutes (分钟, Fēnzhōng)

To talk about minutes, add the number of minutes after the hour. To express ‘quarter hours,’ use 刻 (kè) to indicate a quarter of an hour.

• 5 minutes: 五分 (wǔ fēn)
• 10 minutes: 十分 (shí fēn)
• 15 minutes: 十五分 (shí wǔ fēn)
• 30 minutes: 三十分 (sān shí fēn) or 半 (bàn, half)

For example, ‘quarter past’ is expressed as 一刻 (yī kè).

Seconds (秒, Miǎo)

Seconds can also be added for even more precision.

• 10 seconds: 十秒 (shí miǎo)
• 20 seconds: 二十秒 (èr shí miǎo)
• 45 seconds: 四十五秒 (sì shí wǔ miǎo)

Telling The Time In Chinese: Half Past And Quarter Past Times

If you want to say times like 1:30 or 2:30, you need to understand how to express ‘half hours’ using “半” (bàn) for half past the hour.

Here are some examples:

• 1:30: 一点三十分 (yī diǎn sān shí fēn) or 一点半 (yī diǎn bàn)
• 2:30: 两点三十分 (liǎng diǎn sān shí fēn) or 两点半 (liǎng diǎn bàn)
• 3:30: 三点三十分 (sān diǎn sān shí fēn) or 三点半 (sān diǎn bàn)

Telling The Time In Chinese: Combining Everything

Now, all you need to do is to combine everything you’ve learned so far to talk about the time! Understanding ‘time in Mandarin’ is crucial for practical usage in daily conversations.

Here are some examples for your reference:

• 1:05: 一点五分 (yī diǎn wǔ fēn)
• 2:10: 两点十分 (liǎng diǎn shí fēn)
• 3:15: 三点十五分 (sān diǎn shí wǔ fēn)
• 4:30: 四点三十分 (sì diǎn sān shí fēn) or 四点半 (sì diǎn bàn)
• 5:45: 五点四十五分 (wǔ diǎn sì shí wǔ fēn)
• 6:30:15: 六点三十分十五秒 (liù diǎn sān shí fēn shí wǔ miǎo)
• 8:20:40: 八点二十分四十秒 (bā diǎn èr shí fēn sì shí miǎo)

How To Say Time In Chinese?

The word for “time” in Chinese is 时间 (shíjiān). Play

Easy Phrases For Time In Chinese

Now let’s look at some useful Chinese phrases to talk about the time.

Frequently Asked Questions About Time In Chinese

1. How Do Chinese People Tell Time?

To tell the time in Chinese, all you need to do is say the number first and add 点(diǎn) / 点钟(diǎn zhōng) right after. For example, four o’clock would be 四点(sì diǎn) / 四点钟(sì diǎn zhōng).

In Chinese culture, the saying “time and tide wait for no man” emphasizes the importance of not delaying actions or decisions, reflecting the value placed on time.

2. How Important Is Time In Chinese Culture?

In China, punctuality signifies respect for others’ time and commitment. Arriving late to a meeting can be viewed as disrespectful and unprofessional in Chinese work culture, for example. As a gesture of dedication, it’s recommended to arrive a few minutes early.

3. Why Does The Whole Of China Have The Same Time Zone?

As the Chinese Civil War came to an end in 1949–1950, regional governments under the influence of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), other than those in Xinjiang and Tibet, switched to using the same time as Beijing, which is UTC+08:00. This time became later known as Beijing Time or China Standard Time.

Start Telling The Time In Chinese Today

Learning how to tell time in Chinese opens doors to much clearer communication and smoother interactions, whether you’re scheduling appointments or simply catching up with friends. If you’re learning the Chinese language, mastering how to say hours and minutes and distinguishing between morning (上午) and afternoon (下午) ensures that you can navigate daily activities with ease in Chinese-speaking environments.