点
diǎn
O’clock
Telling time in Chinese
Time is a number plus 点 (the hour on a clock), then the minutes plus 分. Ten past three is 三点十分.
Words for time
Grammar rule: Telling the hour with 点
Saying the time
- Two o’clock is 两点, not 二点.
- Minutes below ten take a zero: 三点零五分 is 3:05.
- The part of the day comes before the hour: 下午三点 is 3 p.m., 晚上八点 is 8 p.m.
- Speech uses the 12-hour clock; timetables and stations use the 24-hour one: 十四点 is 14:00.
Grammar rule: Hours and minutes with 点 and 分
三点
sān diǎn
3:00
两点
liǎng diǎn
2:00
三点十分
sān diǎn shí fēn
3:10
三点零五分
sān diǎn líng wǔ fēn
3:05
三点半
sān diǎn bàn
3:30
三点一刻
sān diǎn yí kè
3:15
三点三刻
sān diǎn sān kè
3:45
差五分四点
chà wǔ fēn sì diǎn
3:55 — five to four
Morning, afternoon, evening
早上
zǎoshang
Early morning
上午
shàngwǔ
Morning (a.m.)
中午
zhōngwǔ
Noon
下午
xiàwǔ
Afternoon (p.m.)
晚上
wǎnshang
Evening
晚上八点
wǎnshang bā diǎn
8 p.m.
How long it takes
A point on the clock is 点 and 分; a stretch of time is 小时 and 分钟: 三点 is three o’clock, 三个小时 is three hours long.
小时
xiǎoshí
Hour (duration)
两个小时
liǎng ge xiǎoshí
Two hours
分钟
fēnzhōng
Minute (duration)
十分钟
shí fēnzhōng
Ten minutes
现在几点？
xiànzài jǐ diǎn?
What time is it?
现在下午三点半。
xiànzài xiàwǔ sān diǎn bàn.
It is half past three in the afternoon.
More about numbers
Frequently asked questions
How do you ask the time in Chinese?
现在几点？ (xiànzài jǐ diǎn?) — literally "now how many o’clock?".
How do you say half past two in Chinese?
两点半 (liǎng diǎn bàn): 两点 is two o’clock, 半 is half.
What is the difference between 点 and 小时?
点 is the hour on a clock (三点 is three o’clock). 小时 is a length of time (三个小时 is three hours).
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