Meaning of 加班
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to work overtime
How to use 加班
加班 is a verb phrase used for staying late or working on weekends beyond normal hours. It works on its own or with a time after it. Example: 我今天要加班。(Wǒ jīntiān yào jiābān.) I have to work overtime today.
加 (jiā) means to add, and 班 (bān) is a work shift, as in 上班 (shàngbān). So 加班 is adding an extra shift to your workday.
Common mistake: Learners often put the duration after the whole word incorrectly, as in 加班三个小时 versus splitting it. Both 加班三个小时 and 加了三个小时班 are fine, but avoid 加班了三个小时的班, which repeats 班.
加班 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
加 jiā · to add · 5 strokes
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班 bān · team · 10 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 加班.
| 上班 | shàngbān | to go to work; to be on duty |
| 下班 | xiàbān | to finish work; to get off work; next service (train, bus etc) |
| 参加 | cānjiā | to participate; to take part; to join |
| 加油 | jiāyóu | to add oil; to top up with gas; to refuel; to accelerate; to step on the gas |
| 班长 | bānzhǎng | class monitor; squad leader |
| 更加 | gèngjiā | more (than sth else); even more |
| 增加 | zēngjiā | to raise; to increase |
| 加强 | jiāqiáng | to reinforce; to strengthen; to enhance |
| 加快 | jiākuài | to accelerate; to speed up; to hasten |
| 班级 | bānjí | class (group of students); grade (in school) |
| 加工 | jiāgōng | to process; processing |
| 加入 | jiārù | to become a member; to join |
Questions about 加班
What does 加班 mean?
加班 (jiābān) means "to work overtime".
How do you write 加班?
加班 is made of 2 characters: 加 (5 strokes), 班 (10 strokes). That is 15 strokes in total.
Is 加班 an HSK word?
Yes. 加班 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
Can 加班 be split apart in a sentence?
Yes. It is a separable verb, so you can say 加了两天班 (jiā le liǎng tiān bān), meaning worked two extra days. Keeping it together, as in 加班两天, is also common.
How do you say overtime pay in Chinese?
Overtime pay is 加班费 (jiābānfèi). For example, 周末加班有加班费吗？(Zhōumò jiābān yǒu jiābānfèi ma?) means Is there overtime pay for working on weekends?