时 meaning and stroke order
O'clock; time; when
How to write 时, stroke by stroke
7 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
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- 3
- 4
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- 7
Meaning of 时
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- o'clock
- time
- when
- hour
- season
- period
How 时 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Day.
日 gives the meaning.
Radical: 日 (sun), shared by 116 characters on this site.
How to remember 时
时 (shí) puts 日 (rì, sun or day) next to 寸 (cùn, a small unit of measure). Think of measuring the sun's movement across the day in small steps, and you are measuring time.
时 rarely stands alone in speech. It mostly appears in words like 时候 (shíhou), 时间 (shíjiān) and 小时 (xiǎoshí). In writing it can mean "when" after a clause, as in 上课时不要说话 (shàngkè shí bú yào shuōhuà), "Don't talk during class."
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 时间 (shíjiān) and 时候 (shíhou). 时间 is an amount of time you have or spend, as in 我没有时间 (I don't have time). 时候 is a point in time, as in 你什么时候来 (When are you coming?). Also keep the second tone on shí; it is not shì.
Common words with 时
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 时候 | shíhou | time; length of time | HSK 1 |
| 时间 | shíjiān | (concept of) time; (duration of) time | HSK 1 |
| 小时 | xiǎoshí | hour | HSK 1 |
| 有时 | yǒushí | sometimes; now and then | HSK 1 |
| 有时候 | yǒushíhou | sometimes | HSK 1 |
| 当时 | dāngshí | then; at that time | HSK 2 |
| 那时 | nà shí | then; at that time | HSK 2 |
| 同时 | tóngshí | at the same time; simultaneously | HSK 2 |
| 随时 | suíshí | at any time; at all times; at the right time; whenever necessary | HSK 2 |
| 小时候 | xiǎoshíhou | in one's childhood | HSK 2 |
| 平时 | píngshí | ordinarily; in normal times | HSK 2 |
| 这时候 | zhè shíhou | HSK 2 | |
| 这时 | zhè shí | at this time; at this moment | HSK 2 |
| 那时候 | nà shíhou | at that time | HSK 2 |
时 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 时
How many strokes are in 时?
时 is written with 7 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 时 mean?
时 (shí) means o'clock; time; when. A common word with it is 时候 (shíhou), meaning "time; length of time".
How do you pronounce 时?
时 is pronounced shí, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 时?
The radical of 时 is 日, which carries the idea of "sun". Dictionaries list 时 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 时?
The traditional form of 时 is 旹 and 時. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 时 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 时 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 时 is part of the HSK 1 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 1.
How do you say "what time is it" in Chinese? Is it 时?
For clock time, use 点 (diǎn): 现在几点? (xiànzài jǐ diǎn), "What time is it now?" 时 means o'clock only in formal or written contexts, like 下午三时 (3 p.m.).
What is the difference between 当时 and 那时?
Both mean "at that time" and are often interchangeable. 当时 (dāngshí) is a bit more formal and common in narration. 那时 (nà shí) or 那时候 feels more conversational.