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 "o'clock"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "o'clock", including 时 (shí), 点 (diǎn). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "o'clock" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 时 (shí), 点 (diǎn) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span shí, diǎn — 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
- 点 diǎn(downwards-right convex character stroke); o'clock; (a measure word); point; dot; (decimal) point)Useful words: 地点, 一点儿
Common words for these 2 "o'clock" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 时 (shí) — so "o'clock" 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 "o'clock".
点 diǎn — (downwards-right convex character stroke); o'clock; (a measure word); point; dot; (decimal) point)
现在是八点半。Xiàn zài shì bā diǎn bàn.It is now half past eight.
Common words: 地点 (dì diǎn)、一点儿 (yī diǎn r)、有点儿 (yǒu diǎn r)
All 2 characters
Open 时、点 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.