Shénme shíhou (什么时候): How to say "When?" in Chinese

什么时候？

shénme shíhou?

When?

Character breakdown

什

what

shén

么

interrogative particle

时

time

shí

候

period

hòu

Grammar and structure

什么时候 (shénme shíhou) is a question phrase combining 什么 (what) and 时候 (time/moment), literally meaning "what time". It is used to ask about when an event happens.

Variations and politeness

你什么时候？

nǐ shénme shíhou?

When are you? — This is incomplete and not a standard question; it would need a verb to be grammatical.

请问，什么时候？

qǐngwèn, shénme shíhou?

Excuse me, when? — More polite due to the addition of 请问 (excuse me).

啥时候？

shá shíhou?

When? — More casual and colloquial, using 啥 instead of 什么.

Mini dialogue

你什么时候来？

nǐ shénme shíhou lái?

When are you coming?

我晚上七点来。

wǒ wǎnshàng qī diǎn lái.

I'm coming at 7 PM.

When to use it

Appropriate

When you want to ask about the time of an event, such as a meeting or departure.
In both formal and informal settings, as it is a neutral question.

Avoid when

When you are not asking a question; using a rising tone might make it sound like a statement.
When asking about a specific time in the past, you might need to add more context, as 什么时候 alone can be ambiguous.

Frequently asked questions

How do you say "when?" in Chinese?

You say "什么时候？" (shénme shíhou?). It literally means "what time?" and is used to ask about when something happens.

How do you pronounce "什么时候？"?

It is pronounced "shénme shíhou?" with the second syllable neutral and a rising intonation at the end to indicate a question.

When do you use "什么时候？"?

Use it whenever you want to ask about the timing of an event, such as "When is the meeting?" or "When are we leaving?" It works in both formal and informal contexts.