Quick answer
What time is it? 现在几点？
Chinese clock time usually follows number + 点 (diǎn) + number + 分 (fēn): 五点二十分 is 5:20. Use 半 (bàn) for half past the hour, 一刻 (yí kè) for a quarter, and 差 (chà) to say how many minutes remain before the next hour. In connected speech, the hour two is normally 两点 (liǎng diǎn), not 二点.
| Time | Chinese | Pinyin | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1:00 | 一点 | yī diǎn / yì diǎn | Many dictionaries show the base tone yī; connected speech often sounds yì. |
| 2:00 | 两点 | liǎng diǎn | Use 两 for two o’clock, not 二点. |
| 3:00 | 三点 | sān diǎn | Regular pattern. |
| 4:00 | 四点 | sì diǎn | Regular pattern. |
| 5:00 | 五点 | wǔ diǎn | Regular pattern. |
| 6:00 | 六点 | liù diǎn | Regular pattern. |
| 7:00 | 七点 | qī diǎn | Regular pattern. |
| 8:00 | 八点 | bā diǎn | Regular pattern. |
| 9:00 | 九点 | jiǔ diǎn | Regular pattern. |
| 10:00 | 十点 | shí diǎn | Regular pattern. |
| 11:00 | 十一点 | shí yī diǎn | Regular pattern. |
| 12:00 | 十二点 | shí èr diǎn | Can mean noon or midnight unless the context says which. |
Minutes past the hour
After the hour, add the minutes and 分: 五点十分 is 5:10, 八点二十五分 is 8:25, and 十一点五十九分 is 11:59. In everyday speech, people often drop 分 when the meaning is clear: 五点二十, 八点二十五. Keep 分 when the context is noisy, formal, or could be confused with another number.
| Expression | Meaning | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| 五点半 | 5:30 | Half past five; 半 comes after the hour. |
| 五点一刻 | 5:15 | A quarter past five; 一刻 means one quarter. |
| 五点三刻 | 5:45 | Three quarters past five; less common than a 差 construction in some regions. |
| 差五分六点 | 5:55 / five to six | Five minutes remain before six. |
| 差一刻六点 | 5:45 / quarter to six | One quarter remains before six. |
The 差 pattern reverses the English frame: 差五分六点 literally means “missing five minutes [to] six.” Do not translate it as “five past six.” If you are not confident with this construction, use the ordinary 五点五十五分 form instead; it is clear and standard.
Morning, afternoon, evening and midnight
Add a time-of-day word before the clock time when the context needs it: 早上 six o’clock, 上午 nine o’clock, 中午 twelve o’clock, 下午 three o’clock, 晚上 eight o’clock, 凌晨 three in the early morning. The exact boundaries are flexible and depend on schedule and season. 凌晨 usually refers to the very early hours before dawn; 早上 is the general morning period; 上午 often covers the later morning.
In transport timetables and official schedules, Mandarin also uses a 24-hour clock: 14:30 can be 十四点三十分, and 18:00 can be 十八点. In ordinary conversation, people more often say 下午两点半 for 2:30 p.m. Use the 24-hour form when reading a timetable, not as a universal replacement for everyday speech.
Asking and answering
现在几点？ means “What time is it now?” 请问现在几点？ is more polite. 你几点到？ asks “What time will you arrive?” and 我们几点见？ asks “What time shall we meet?” 几点 asks for clock time; 什么时候 is broader and asks “when?”
An answer can be as short as 三点 or 三点二十. If someone asks 几点了？, reply with the clock time rather than a full sentence. In a service or appointment setting, repeat the exact time back to confirm: 三点二十，对吗？ means “3:20, right?”
Dates: year, month, day
Written dates normally move from the largest unit to the smallest: 年 + 月 + 日. For example, 2026年9月23日 is 23 September 2026. The spoken year is commonly read digit by digit: 二〇二六年. Months are regular: 一月 January, 二月 February, 三月 March, through 十二月 December. There is no separate month name to memorise, but 二月 is used for February; 两月 does not mean February.
In everyday speech, 号 (hào) is common for the day of the month: 九月二十三号. In formal writing, 日 (rì) is standard. When you arrange a date across languages, confirm whether the numerals in a message mean day/month or month/day; the Chinese written order 年月日 removes that ambiguity only when the full format is used.
Days of the week
The week uses 星期 (xīngqī), 周 (zhōu) or 礼拜 (lǐbài) depending on region and formality. The pattern is:
- 星期一 Monday · 星期二 Tuesday · 星期三 Wednesday · 星期四 Thursday
- 星期五 Friday · 星期六 Saturday · 星期日 or 星期天 Sunday
- 周末 the weekend · 这周 this week · 下周 next week · 上周 last week
星期一 is Monday and 星期日/星期天 is Sunday in the common Chinese numbering system. Calendar layouts may still start the printed week on Sunday, so do not confuse the name of the day with the layout of a particular calendar app.
Clock time is not duration
One of the most useful distinctions for learners is 点 versus 小时. 两点 means two o’clock, while 两个小时 means two hours of duration. 三点 means three o’clock; 三个小时 means three hours. If you are booking or scheduling, say clearly whether you mean a starting time or a length of time.
钟头 (zhōngtóu) is a colloquial word for an hour, especially in phrases such as 一个钟头 or 半个钟头. It is useful in conversation but less common in formal timetables. 分钟 (fēnzhōng) is the ordinary word for minutes as a duration, while 分 can serve as the minute unit in clock time.
Common mistakes to check
- Saying 二点 for two o’clock instead of 两点.
- Using 两月 for February instead of 二月.
- Reading 2026年 as 两千零二十六年 instead of the common digit-by-digit year reading.
- Mixing 半的位置: say 五点半, not 半五点.
- Confusing 点 (clock hour) with 小时 (duration).
- Using 什么时候 when the listener needs an exact clock time.
- Assuming that 12点 always means noon; it can also mean midnight depending on context.
A short practice sequence
Say the hours from one to twelve. Then practise 5:10, 5:15, 5:30 and 5:45 with both the ordinary and 差 patterns. Add 上午/下午 and say the same time in a 24-hour schedule. Finally, say a complete date and weekday: 2026年9月23日，星期三. Confirm the answer in a full sentence rather than reading isolated characters.