Writing
时间 (shíjiān) — how to say "time" in Chinese
时间
Time (as duration), period
noun
Character composition
时
time, hour
间
interval, between
Radicals / Keys
日
Sun
#72 · rì · 4 strokes
門
Gate
#169 · mén · 8 strokes
Collocations
有时间
yǒu shíjiān
to have time
没时间
méi shíjiān
to have no time
Examples
我没有时间，但是我会努力。
I don't have time, but I'll try.
没有时间
No time.
Mnemonic
[shíjiān-] Shy Jan is sailing down the river of time in her magical clock boat ⏳. She watches as hours (时) and intervals (间) pass by like scenes from a movie. It all reminds her of the time ⏰ she's spending on her journey through periods and moments.
Frequently asked questions
Time in Mandarin Chinese
"time" in Chinese is 时间 (shíjiān).
时间 meaning in English
时间 (shíjiān) means "Time (as duration), period".
How is 时间 pronounced?
It is pronounced shíjiān (written as shijian). You can listen to the pronunciation on this page.
How do you write "time" in Chinese characters?
It is written 时间: 时 has 7 strokes, 间 has 7 strokes. The Writing section above animates the stroke order of each character and lets you trace it.
What HSK level is 时间?
时间 belongs to the HSK 2 vocabulary list.
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Grammar with 时间
如果…的话 — if… then…
如果 (rúguǒ)……的话 (de huà)，……
但是 — but, however
但是 (dànshì) / 可是 (kěshì) / 不过 (bùguò) / 然而 (rán'ér)
够 — enough
Subj. + 够 (gòu) + Predicate (+ 了 (le))
以便 — so that, in order to
Clause 1, 以便 (yǐbiàn) + Purpose / Goal
一来 — giving two reasons
一来 (yìlái) + Reason 1, 二来 (èrlái) + Reason 2
该 — it's time to
该 (gāi) + Verb + 了 (le)