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 "time"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "time", including 时 (shí), 过 (guò), 期 (qī), 花 (huā), 久 (jiǔ), 春 (chūn). Study pinyin, English meanings…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "time" covers 8 different Chinese characters — 时 (shí), 过 (guò), 期 (qī), 花 (huā), 久 (jiǔ), 春 (chūn), 届 (jiè), 屡 (lǚ / lǚ) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 8 characters do not share a sound — their readings span shí, guò, qī, huā, jiǔ, chūn, and more — 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
- 过 guò(experienced action marker); to cross; to go over; to pass (time); to celebrate (a holiday); to liveUseful words: 不过, 通过
- 期 qīa period of time; phase; stage; (used for issue of a periodical; courses of study); timeUseful words: 星期, 日期
- 花 huāflower; blossom; to spend (money; time); fancy patternUseful words: 花园, 开花
- 久 jiǔ(long) time; (long) duration of timeUseful words: 多久, 不久
Common words for these 8 "time" characters
Anchor each of these 8 characters in a word you can picture — start with 时 (shí) — so "time" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
时候shí houtime; length of time; moment; period时间shí jiān(concept of) time; (duration of) time; (point in) time小时xiǎo shíhour不过bù guòonly; merely; no more than; but通过tōng guòto pass through; to get through; to adopt (a resolution); to pass (legislation)过去guò qù(in the) past; former; previous; to go over星期xīng qīweek; day of the week; Sunday日期rì qīdate假期jià qīvacation花园huā yuángarden (for flowers, ornamental plants etc); (landscaped) park; yard with decorative plants
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 8 ways to say "time".
过 guò — (experienced action marker); to cross; to go over; to pass (time); to celebrate (a holiday); to live
我去过北京两次。Wǒ qù guò Běi jīng liǎng cì.I have been to Beijing twice.
Common words: 不过 (bù guò)、通过 (tōng guò)、过去 (guò qù)
期 qī — a period of time; phase; stage; (used for issue of a periodical; courses of study); time
我很期待这个假期。Wǒ hěn qī dài zhè ge jià qī.I am really looking forward to this holiday.
Common words: 星期 (xīng qī)、日期 (rì qī)、假期 (jià qī)
花 huā — flower; blossom; to spend (money; time); fancy pattern
花园里开满了五颜六色的花。Huā yuán lǐ kāi mǎn le wǔ yán liù sè de huā.The garden is full of colorful flowers.
Common words: 花园 (huā yuán)、开花 (kāi huā)、鲜花 (xiān huā)
久 jiǔ — (long) time; (long) duration of time
我们已经很久没见面了。Wǒ men yǐ jīng hěn jiǔ méi jiàn miàn le.We have not seen each other for a long time.
Common words: 多久 (duō jiǔ)、不久 (bù jiǔ)、好久 (hǎo jiǔ)
春 chūn — spring (time); gay; joyful; youthful; love; lust
春天来了，万物开始生长。Chūn tiān lái le, wàn wù kāi shǐ shēng zhǎng.Spring has come, and everything begins to grow.
Common words: 春天 (chūn tiān)、青春 (qīng chūn)、春季 (chūn jì)
届 jiè — arrive at (place or time); period; to become due; measure words for events (e.g.; meetings; elections)
这一届运动会办得十分成功。Zhè yí jiè yùn dòng huì bàn de shí fēn chéng gōng.This sports meet was a great success.
Common words: 届时 (jiè shí)、历届 (lì jiè)、下届 (xià jiè)
屡 lǚ / lǚ — time and again
他屡次失败，却从不放弃。Tā lǚ cì shī bài, què cóng bù fàng qì.He failed repeatedly, but never gave up.
Common words: 屡次 (lǚ cì)、屡加 (lǚ jiā)、屡遭 (lǚ zāo)
All 8 characters
Open 时、过、期 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.