年
nián
Year
Dates in Chinese
A Chinese date runs from the largest unit to the smallest: year, month, day, weekday. October 28, 2026 is 2026年10月28日.
The parts of a date
Grammar rule: Dates with 年, 月 and 日
月
yuè
Month
日
rì
Day of the month (written)
号
hào
Day of the month (spoken)
十月二十八号
shíyuè èrshíbā hào
October 28
二〇二六年
èr líng èr liù nián
The year 2026
How to read a year
- A year is read digit by digit: 2026 is 二〇二六年 (èr líng èr liù nián), 1999 is 一九九九年.
- The zero in a year is written 〇 or 零 and read líng.
- Decades take 年代: 九十年代 (jiǔshí niándài) is the nineties.
一九九九年
yī jiǔ jiǔ jiǔ nián
The year 1999
二〇〇八年
èr líng líng bā nián
The year 2008
九十年代
jiǔshí niándài
The nineties
Today, tomorrow, yesterday
Asking the date
今天几月几号？
jīntiān jǐ yuè jǐ hào?
What is the date today?
今天十月二十八号。
jīntiān shíyuè èrshíbā hào.
Today is October 28.
你的生日是几月几号？
nǐ de shēngrì shì jǐ yuè jǐ hào?
When is your birthday?
More about numbers
Frequently asked questions
How do you say a date in Chinese?
From the largest unit down: year, month, day. October 28, 2026 is 二〇二六年十月二十八日, or 十月二十八号 in speech.
What is the difference between 号 and 日?
Both mark the day of the month. 号 (hào) is spoken; 日 (rì) is used in writing and documents.
How do you say the year 2026 in Chinese?
Digit by digit: 二〇二六年 (èr líng èr liù nián).
Tomyo
Learn Chinese words with spaced repetition
Numbers stick when you use them. Tomyo reviews your words on a schedule so what you learn is still there a month later.