时 shí — o'clock; time; when; hour; season; period
上课的时候要认真听讲。Shàng kè de shí hou yào rèn zhēn tīng jiǎng.Pay attention during class.
Common words: 时候 (shí hou)、时间 (shí jiān)、小时 (xiǎo shí)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "hour"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "hour", including 时 (shí), 刻 (kè). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words, and examples.
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "hour" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 时 (shí), 刻 (kè) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span shí, kè — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 时 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 时 shío'clock; time; when; hour; season; periodUseful words: 时候, 时间
- 刻 kèquarter (hour); (a measure word); to carve; to engrave; to cut; oppressiveUseful words: 时刻, 立刻
Common words for these 2 "hour" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 时 (shí) — so "hour" 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 2 ways to say "hour".
刻 kè — quarter (hour); (a measure word); to carve; to engrave; to cut; oppressive
请等一刻钟，我马上就好。Qǐng děng yí kè zhōng, wǒ mǎ shàng jiù hǎo.Please wait fifteen minutes; I will be ready soon.
Common words: 时刻 (shí kè)、立刻 (lì kè)、深刻 (shēn kè)
All 2 characters
Open 时、刻 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.