半天 (bàn tiān) — how to say "half a day" in Chinese

半天

Half a day

numeral + measure word

Character composition

半

half

天

day

Radicals / Keys

大

Big

#37 · dà · 3 strokes

十

Ten

#24 · shí · 2 strokes

Examples

他花了半天时间完成作业。

He spent half a day finishing his homework.

我等了半天。

I waited half a day.

Mnemonic

Mnemonic for 半天 (bàn tiān) — half a day

[bàn tiān-] Bunny the rabbit kneaded dough and said, "The pie will take only 半天!" But he fell asleep in the sun, and 半天 stretched until evening. The pie stayed raw, and half a day turned into a whole day. 🐰🥧

Writing

Try remembering 半天

Three short exercises on meaning and pronunciation. Free, no sign-up needed.

Frequently asked questions

Half day in Mandarin

"half a day" in Chinese is 半天 (bàn tiān).

半天 meaning in English

半天 (bàn tiān) means "Half a day".

How is 半天 pronounced?

It is pronounced bàn tiān (written as ban tian, bantian). You can listen to the pronunciation on this page.

How do you write "half a day" in Chinese characters?

It is written 半天: 半 has 5 strokes, 天 has 4 strokes. The Writing section above animates the stroke order of each character and lets you trace it.

What HSK 3.0 level is 半天?

半天 is on the HSK 3.0 level 3 word list. It is not part of the six-level HSK 2.0 lists.

Tomyo

Learn Chinese words with spaced repetition

Add 半天 to your vocabulary and remember it with smart reviews, audio and examples.

Download the app

More HSK 3.0 level 3 words