HSK 1 grammar · new HSK syllabus
Dates, days and clock times
Chinese dates go from big to small: 2026年12月13号星期日. Times: 八点半.
Structure
- year + 月 + 号 + 星期
- 点 + 分
How it works
Dates go from the largest unit to the smallest: year, month, day, weekday. Years are read digit by digit: 二〇二六年.
Months are numbers + 月 (一月 to 十二月). Days are numbers + 号 in speech (日 in writing). Weekdays are 星期 + number, except Sunday: 星期天 or 星期日.
Clock times: 点 hour, 分 minute, 半 half past: 八点, 八点十分, 八点半.
Examples
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今天是十二月十三号。
Jīntiān shì shí èr yuè shí sān hào.
Today is the thirteenth of December.
-
明天星期一。
Míngtiān xīngqī yī.
Tomorrow is Monday.
-
现在八点半。
Xiànzài bā diǎn bàn.
It’s half past eight.
-
我们三点半见。
Wǒmen sān diǎn bàn jiàn.
Let’s meet at half past three.
-
你的生日是几月几号？
Nǐ de shēngrì shì jǐ yuè jǐ hào?
When is your birthday?
Words in these examples (20)
| 今天 | jīntiān | today | HSK 1 |
| 是 | shì | to be (am, is, are); yes | HSK 1 |
| 十 | shí | ten | HSK 1 |
| 二 | èr | two | HSK 1 |
| 月 | yuè | month; moon | HSK 1 |
| 三 | sān | three | HSK 1 |
| 号 | hào | day of the month; number | HSK 1 |
| 明天 | míngtiān | tomorrow | HSK 1 |
| 星期 | xīngqī | week | HSK 1 |
| 一 | yī | one | HSK 1 |
| 现在 | xiànzài | now | HSK 1 |
| 八 | bā | eight | HSK 1 |
| 点 | diǎn | o'clock; (measure word) a little | HSK 1 |
| 半 | bàn | half | HSK 1 |
| 我们 | wǒmen | we; us | HSK 1 |
| 见 | jiàn | to see; to meet | HSK 1 |
| 你 | nǐ | you | HSK 1 |
| 的 | de | (particle linking a describer to a noun, like "'s") | HSK 1 |
| 生日 | shēngrì | birthday | HSK 2 |
| 几 | jǐ | how many (usually under ten); a few | HSK 1 |
Common mistakes
-
✗十三号十二月
✓十二月十三号
Month before day.
-
✗星期七
✓星期天 / 星期日
Sunday is 星期天 or 星期日.
Check yourself
Choose the word that fills the gap.
1. 今天是星期 ？
2. 现在九点 。
3. 我的生日是三月 。