Meaning of 周年
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- anniversary
- annual
How to use 周年
周年 usually follows a number to mark how many years have passed since an event, such as a wedding, a company founding, or a national event. It is common in formal and celebratory contexts. Example: 今天是我们结婚十周年。(Jīntiān shì wǒmen jiéhūn shí zhōunián.) Today is our tenth wedding anniversary.
周 (zhōu) means a full circle or cycle, and 年 (nián) means year. A 周年 is one full trip around the year, bringing you back to the same date.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes write 十年 when they mean an anniversary, but 十年 just means a period of ten years, while 十周年 marks the tenth anniversary of a specific event. Also keep both syllables in the first tone, zhōu and then the second tone nián, not zhǒu.
周年 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.
周 zhōu · week · 8 strokes
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年 nián · year · 6 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 周年.
Questions about 周年
What does 周年 mean?
周年 (zhōunián) means "anniversary; annual" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 周年?
周年 is made of 2 characters: 周 (8 strokes), 年 (6 strokes). That is 14 strokes in total.
Is 周年 an HSK word?
Yes. 周年 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 周年 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 周年 is written 週年.
How do you say happy anniversary in Chinese?
You can say 周年快乐 (zhōunián kuàilè). For a wedding anniversary, people often say 结婚纪念日快乐 (jiéhūn jìniànrì kuàilè), which literally means happy wedding commemoration day.
What is the difference between 周年 and 纪念日?
周年 counts the years since an event, so it usually comes with a number, as in 五周年 (wǔ zhōunián), fifth anniversary. 纪念日 (jìniànrì) means a commemoration day in general and does not need a number.