Chinese Vocabulary : days, Months & Seasons

Learn the Days of the Week in Chinese

星期 (Xīngqī)

Explore the days of the week in Chinese, Romanization, and their English translations.

In Chinese, there are two main ways to refer to the days of the week, depending on the situation: the formal way and the informal way.

1. Formal Way: The days of the week are formed by combining the word "星期" (Xīngqī) with the corresponding number for the day. This is the most common and widely understood form.

Days of the Week in Chinese (Formal - Using "星期"):

• 星期一 (Xīngqī yī) = Monday
• 星期二 (Xīngqī èr) = Tuesday
• 星期三 (Xīngqī sān) = Wednesday
• 星期四 (Xīngqī sì) = Thursday
• 星期五 (Xīngqī wǔ) = Friday
• 星期六 (Xīngqī liù) = Saturday
• 星期天 (Xīngqī tiān) = Sunday

2. Another Informal Way: In some regions, especially in southern China, people also use the word "礼拜" (lǐ bài) to refer to the days of the week in an informal context. It is similar to "周" but has a more colloquial feel and is often used in everyday conversation.

Days of the Week in Chinese (Informal - Using "礼拜"):

• 礼拜一 (Lǐ bài yī) = Monday
• 礼拜二 (Lǐ bài èr) = Tuesday
• 礼拜三 (Lǐ bài sān) = Wednesday
• 礼拜四 (Lǐ bài sì) = Thursday
• 礼拜五 (Lǐ bài wǔ) = Friday
• 礼拜六 (Lǐ bài liù) = Saturday
• 礼拜天 (Lǐ bài tiān) = Sunday (Note: "天" is used informally for Sunday instead of "星期天")

3. Informal Way: The days of the week are commonly referred to using the word "周" (Zhōu) followed by the corresponding number for the day. This is used in casual conversations and is more commonly heard in everyday speech.

Days of the Week in Chinese (Informal - Using "周"):

• 周一 (Zhōu yī) = Monday
• 周二 (Zhōu èr) = Tuesday
• 周三 (Zhōu sān) = Wednesday
• 周四 (Zhōu sì) = Thursday
• 周五 (Zhōu wǔ) = Friday
• 周六 (Zhōu liù) = Saturday
• 周天 (Zhōu tiān) = Sunday (Note: "天" is used informally for Sunday instead of "星期天")

4. Abbreviated Way: In even more informal situations, people often use just the number or "天" for Sunday without any prefix. This is common in quick conversations or texts.

Abbreviated Days of the Week in Chinese (Using Only Numbers):

• 一 (Yī) = Monday
• 二 (Èr) = Tuesday
• 三 (Sān) = Wednesday
• 四 (Sì) = Thursday
• 五 (Wǔ) = Friday
• 六 (Liù) = Saturday
• 天 (Tiān) = Sunday

These four ways of referring to the days of the week in Chinese – formal, informal, and abbreviated – are all commonly used depending on the situation and the level of formality.

Learn the Months of the Year in Chinese

月份 (Yuèfèn)

Explore the months of the year in Chinese, Romanization, and their English translations.

In Chinese, the months of the year are formed by combining the word "月" (yuè) with the corresponding number for the month.

Months of the Year in Chinese:

• 一月 (Yī yuè) = January
• 二月 (Èr yuè) = February
• 三月 (Sān yuè) = March
• 四月 (Sì yuè) = April
• 五月 (Wǔ yuè) = May
• 六月 (Liù yuè) = June
• 七月 (Qī yuè) = July
• 八月 (Bā yuè) = August
• 九月 (Jiǔ yuè) = September
• 十月 (Shí yuè) = October
• 十一月 (Shíyī yuè) = November
• 十二月 (Shí'èr yuè) = December