Time words come up in almost every HSK 1 conversation, so they are worth learning early and practising out loud. You need them to say when you get up, when class starts, and when you are free. Everything on this page sits inside the 300 words of the HSK 1 list.
Read each Chinese line aloud first. Check the pinyin only when you get stuck, then cover the English and say it again from memory.
Numbers Come First
Chinese numbers are regular. Once you know one to ten, the rest mostly follow.
- 一 (yī) one, 二 (èr) two, 三 (sān) three
- 四 (sì) four, 五 (wǔ) five, 六 (liù) six
- 七 (qī) seven, 八 (bā) eight, 九 (jiǔ) nine
- 十 (shí) ten, 零 (líng) zero, 半 (bàn) half
Eleven is 十一, literally "ten one". Twenty is 二十, "two ten". Twenty-five is 二十五.
Telling the Time
The pattern is number + 点 (diǎn) for the hour, then number + 分 (fēn) for the minutes.
- 三点 three o'clock
- 三点十分 three ten
- 三点半 half past three
To ask the time, say 现在几点？(Xiànzài jǐ diǎn?) — "what time is it now?"
Days of the Week
Weekdays are built from 星期 (xīngqī) plus a number.
- 星期一 Monday, 星期二 Tuesday, 星期三 Wednesday
- 星期四 Thursday, 星期五 Friday, 星期六 Saturday
- 星期天 or 星期日 Sunday
Sunday breaks the pattern. It uses 天 or 日, never 七.
Dates and Months
Chinese dates run from large to small: year, then month, then day.
- 年 (nián) year, 月 (yuè) month, 日 (rì) or 号 (hào) day
- 2026年5月3日 is 3 May 2026
In speech, 号 sounds more natural than 日. People say 五月三号 far more often than 五月三日.
Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow
These three words carry a lot of weight in beginner sentences.
- 昨天 (zuótiān) yesterday
- 今天 (jīntiān) today
- 明天 (míngtiān) tomorrow
They go before the verb. 我明天上课 means "I have class tomorrow".
Asking When
Use 什么时候 (shénme shíhou) for a general "when". Use 几点 for a clock time.
- 你什么时候来？When are you coming?
- 你几点来？What time are you coming?
Two Mistakes to Avoid
Mistake 1: Putting the time at the end
Chinese puts the time word before the verb, not after it. Say 我明天去, not 我去明天.
Mistake 2: Saying 七星期 for Sunday
The week has 星期一 to 星期六, then 星期天 or 星期日. There is no 星期七.
More Time Words You Will Hear
These turn up in the listening paper, usually inside a short dialogue.
- 上午 (shàngwǔ) morning, before noon
- 中午 (zhōngwǔ) noon
- 下午 (xiàwǔ) afternoon
- 晚上 (wǎnshang) evening
- 现在 (xiànzài) now
- 时候 (shíhou) time, moment
时候 rarely stands alone. It appears inside 的时候, as in 我小的时候 — when I was small.
A Short Day in Chinese
Read these aloud. Every word here is on the HSK 1 list.
Notice that each time word sits before the verb. None of them needs a preposition.
Saying How Long
Duration words are simple at this level.
- 小时 (xiǎoshí) hour
- 分钟 (fēnzhōng) minute
- 每天 (měitiān) every day
我每天学习一个小时 — I study for one hour every day. The duration goes after the verb.
What HSK 1 Actually Tests
The HSK 1 exam has 40 questions and takes about 40 minutes. It covers listening and reading only — there is no writing section at this level. Writing first appears at HSK 2.
Time words show up often in the listening section. Train your ear on 点, 分 and 半 before exam day.
When these words feel automatic, try a free HSK 1 practice test and browse the other HSK 1 study guides. If family words are still shaky, start with HSK 1 family vocabulary first.
How to Practise
Learn five time phrases a day and use each one in a real sentence about your own week. Then check yourself on a full-length paper.