Structure of days of the week
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星期 (xīngqī) means "week" in Chinese. This is also used to indicate which weekday you are talking about.
Contents
Structure
Days of the week in Chinese are formed by the word "week" followed by a number:
| English | Chinese |
|---|---|
| Monday | 星期一 Xīngqīyī |
| Tuesday | 星期二 Xīngqī'èr |
| Wednesday | 星期三 Xīngqīsān |
| Thursday | 星期四 Xīngqīsì |
| Friday | 星期五 Xīngqīwǔ |
| Saturday | 星期六 Xīngqīliù |
| Sunday | 星期天 Xīngqītiān |
Notice that Sunday is the only exception. Rather than a number, 天 (tiān) is used. More formally, Sunday is also referred to as 星期日 (xīngqīrì).
One other implication of this system that you may not have noticed: "day one" is Monday. In Chinese culture, the first day of the week is Monday, and not Sunday.
Examples
- 今天 是 星期一 吗？Is today Monday?
- 明天 星期五，太 高兴 了。Tomorrow is Friday, I'm so happy.
- 星期一 我们 要 上班。We will go to work on Monday.
- 星期二 我 很 忙。I am busy on Tuesday.
- 你 星期三 要 做 什么？What are you doing on Wednesday?
- 我们 星期六 和 星期天 不 在 上海。Saturday and Sunday we will not be in Shanghai.
- 上 个 星期三 我 跟 他 见面 了。I met him last Wednesday.
- 这 个 星期三 我 有空。This Wednesday I (have time) am free.
- 下 个 星期四 是 我 的 生日。My birthday is on next Thursday.
- 我们 每 个 星期五 都 去 酒吧。We go to a bar every Friday.
Other words for "week"
Hopefully this doesn't freak you out, but there are actually two other ways to say "week" in Chinese. You should still learn 星期 (xīngqī) first, and that's really all you need as a beginner.
The other words for "week" are 礼拜 (lǐbài) and 周 (zhōu). Skip them for now unless you really need them.
See also
Sources and further reading
Books
- New Practical Chinese Reader 1 (新实用汉语课本1) (p. 123) →buy
- New Practical Chinese Reader 1 (新实用汉语课本1)(2nd ed) (p. 142) →buy
- Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (3rd ed) (p. 72) →buy
