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 "when"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "when", including 时 (shí), 当 (dāng / dàng). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "when" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 时 (shí), 当 (dāng / dàng) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span shí, dāng, dàng — 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
- 当 dāng / dàngto be; to act as; manage; withstand; when; duringUseful words: 当时, 当然
Common words for these 2 "when" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 时 (shí) — so "when" 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 "when".
当 dāng / dàng — to be; to act as; manage; withstand; when; during
当老师来的时候，大家都安静了。Dāng lǎo shī lái de shí hou, dà jiā dōu ān jìng le.When the teacher came, everyone became quiet.
Common words: 当时 (dāng shí)、当然 (dāng rán)、相当 (xiāng dāng)
All 2 characters
Open 时、当 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.