你哪里不舒服？
nǐ nǎlǐ bù shūfu?
What hurts you?
How to ask 'How many times a day?' in Chinese
一天吃几次？
yì tiān chī jǐ cì?
How many times a day?
Character breakdown
Grammar and structure
一天 (yì tiān) means 'one day', 吃 (chī) means 'eat/take', 几 (jǐ) means 'how many', and 次 (cì) is a measure word for times. The phrase asks 'One day take how many times?'
Variations and politeness
一天吃几次药？
yì tiān chī jǐ cì yào?
How many times a day do you take the medicine? — More specific by adding 'medicine' (药).
你一天吃几次？
nǐ yì tiān chī jǐ cì?
How many times a day do you eat? — More conversational with 'you' (你) and without 'medicine'.
Mini dialogue
A
我一天吃几次药？
wǒ yì tiān chī jǐ cì yào?
How many times a day should I take the medicine?
B
你一天吃三次。
nǐ yì tiān chī sān cì.
You should take it three times a day.
When to use it
Appropriate
- When asking a doctor or pharmacist about medication dosage frequency.
- When you need to clarify how many times per day to take a prescribed medicine.
- When you want to confirm the daily intake schedule for any oral medication.
Avoid when
- When asking about general eating habits, not medication; use '你一天吃几顿饭?' instead.
- When asking about frequency over a different time period (e.g., per week); specify the time unit.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'How many times a day?' in Chinese?
You say '一天吃几次？' (yì tiān chī jǐ cì?). It literally means 'one day eat how many times?' and is used for medication.
How do you pronounce '一天吃几次？'?
It is pronounced 'yì tiān chī jǐ cì?'. Note the tone changes: yì (4th), tiān (1st), chī (1st), jǐ (3rd), cì (4th).
When do you use '一天吃几次？'?
Use it when asking a medical professional how often to take medication per day. It is not used for general eating frequency.
More phrases for this situation
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