天 tiān — sky; heaven; day
今天的天空很蓝，风也很轻。Jīn tiān de tiān kōng hěn lán, fēng yě hěn qīng.The sky is very blue today, and the wind is gentle.
Common words: 今天 (jīn tiān)、明天 (míng tiān)、昨天 (zuó tiān)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "day"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "day", including 天 (tiān), 日 (rì), 旦 (dàn). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "day" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 天 (tiān), 日 (rì), 旦 (dàn) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span tiān, rì, dàn — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 天 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 天 tiānsky; heaven; dayUseful words: 今天, 明天
- 日 rìJapan; day; sun; date; day of the monthUseful words: 生日, 日期
- 旦 dàndawn; morning; day-break; dayUseful words: 一旦, 正旦
Common words for these 3 "day" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 天 (tiān) — so "day" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 3 ways to say "day".
日 rì — Japan; day; sun; date; day of the month
今天是十月一日。Jīn tiān shì shí yuè yī rì.Today is October first.
Common words: 生日 (shēng rì)、日期 (rì qī)、日子 (rì zi)
旦 dàn — dawn; morning; day-break; day
元旦是新一年的第一天。Yuán dàn shì xīn yì nián de dì yī tiān.New Year Day is the first day of the new year.
Common words: 一旦 (yī dàn)、正旦 (zhèng dàn)、文旦 (wén dàn)
All 3 characters
Open 天、日、旦 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.