Chinese Days of the Week and Months: Characters, Pinyin and Example Sentences

Days of the week in Chinese: 星期一 through 星期日

The Mandarin word for week is 星期 (xīngqī) — literally "star period." The character 星 (xīng) means star and 期 (qī) means period or phase, a reference to the seven visible heavenly bodies in ancient Chinese astronomy (the sun, moon, and five visible planets) that gave rise to the seven-day week. Days of the week are formed by attaching 星期 to the numbers one through six, then using 日 (rì, sun) or 天 (tiān, sky) for Sunday rather than the number seven.

See also: Time in Chinese — clock hours (一点–十二点), morning/afternoon/evening words, and how to ask "What time is it?" in Mandarin. Days and months combine naturally with time expressions.

Day	Character	Pinyin	English
Monday	星期一	Xīngqīyī	Monday (week day 1)
Tuesday	星期二	Xīngqīèr	Tuesday (week day 2)
Wednesday	星期三	Xīngqīsān	Wednesday (week day 3)
Thursday	星期四	Xīngqīsì	Thursday (week day 4)
Friday	星期五	Xīngqīwǔ	Friday (week day 5)
Saturday	星期六	Xīngqīliù	Saturday (week day 6)
Sunday	星期日 / 星期天	Xīngqīrì / Xīngqītiān	Sunday

Example sentences: days of the week

Each example below shows the day in a natural sentence context — the kind of sentences children and families use in everyday Mandarin speech.

星期一 (Xīngqīyī) — Monday
星期一我有中文课。
Xīngqīyī wǒ yǒu zhōngwén kè.
I have Chinese class on Monday.

星期二 (Xīngqīèr) — Tuesday
我们星期二去图书馆。
Wǒmen xīngqīèr qù túshūguǎn.
We go to the library on Tuesday.

星期三 (Xīngqīsān) — Wednesday
今天是星期三，明天是星期四。
Jīntiān shì xīngqīsān, míngtiān shì xīngqīsì.
Today is Wednesday; tomorrow is Thursday.

星期四 (Xīngqīsì) — Thursday
星期四有体育课，我很开心。
Xīngqīsì yǒu tǐyùkè, wǒ hěn kāixīn.
There is PE class on Thursday; I am very happy.

星期五 (Xīngqīwǔ) — Friday
星期五下午我和朋友一起去玩。
Xīngqīwǔ xiàwǔ wǒ hé péngyou yīqǐ qù wán.
On Friday afternoon I go out to play with friends.

星期六 (Xīngqīliù) — Saturday
星期六我们全家去公园。
Xīngqīliù wǒmen quánjiā qù gōngyuán.
On Saturday the whole family goes to the park.

星期日 / 星期天 (Xīngqīrì / Xīngqītiān) — Sunday
星期天我们一起吃早餐，然后看书。
Xīngqītiān wǒmen yīqǐ chī zǎocān, ránhòu kànshū.
On Sunday we eat breakfast together, then read.

A useful question to practise: 今天星期几？(Jīntiān xīngqī jǐ?) — "What day of the week is it today?" The word 几 (jǐ) means "how many" or "which number." To answer: 今天星期三 (Jīntiān xīngqīsān) — "Today is Wednesday." For yesterday: 昨天星期几？(Zuótiān xīngqī jǐ?) and for tomorrow: 明天星期几？(Míngtiān xīngqī jǐ?).

An alternative system uses 周 (zhōu, week) instead of 星期: 周一 (Zhōuyī) Monday through 周日 (Zhōurì) Sunday. The 周 system is more common in formal written contexts — newspapers, school timetables, official schedules — while 星期 is more common in everyday spoken Mandarin. Both are understood everywhere Chinese is spoken.

Months of the year in Chinese: 一月 through 十二月

Mandarin months are the simplest calendar vocabulary in any widely spoken language. Every month is just a number followed by 月 (yuè, month). January is one-month, February is two-month, and so on through December as twelve-month. There are no irregular names, no Latin roots, no mythological references — just numbers and 月. A learner who can count to twelve in Chinese can immediately name all twelve months.

Month	Character	Pinyin	English
Month 1	一月	Yīyuè	January
Month 2	二月	Èryuè	February
Month 3	三月	Sānyuè	March
Month 4	四月	Sìyuè	April
Month 5	五月	Wǔyuè	May
Month 6	六月	Liùyuè	June
Month 7	七月	Qīyuè	July
Month 8	八月	Bāyuè	August
Month 9	九月	Jiǔyuè	September
Month 10	十月	Shíyuè	October
Month 11	十一月	Shíyīyuè	November
Month 12	十二月	Shí'èryuè	December

A note on December: the pinyin Shí'èryuè includes an apostrophe before 'è'. Standard pinyin rules require an apostrophe whenever a syllable beginning with a, o, or e follows another syllable without a natural break. Here, 十 (shí) is followed by 二 (èr), which begins with 'e', so the apostrophe prevents misreading. You may also see it written Shíèryuè without the apostrophe — both refer to the same word.

Example sentences: months of the year

一月 (Yīyuè) — January
一月很冷，我们穿很多衣服。
Yīyuè hěn lěng, wǒmen chuān hěn duō yīfu.
January is very cold; we wear a lot of clothes.

二月 (Èryuè) — February
二月有农历新年，我们放鞭炮。
Èryuè yǒu nónglì xīnnián, wǒmen fàng biānpào.
In February there is Lunar New Year; we set off firecrackers.

三月 (Sānyuè) — March
三月天气开始变暖，花都开了。
Sānyuè tiānqì kāishǐ biàn nuǎn, huā dōu kāi le.
In March the weather starts to warm up and the flowers bloom.

四月 (Sìyuè) — April
四月有清明节，我们去祭祖。
Sìyuè yǒu Qīngmíngjié, wǒmen qù jìzǔ.
April has the Qingming Festival; we go to pay respects to our ancestors.

五月 (Wǔyuè) — May
五月是春天，天气很好，我喜欢在外面玩。
Wǔyuè shì chūntiān, tiānqì hěn hǎo, wǒ xǐhuan zài wàimiàn wán.
May is spring; the weather is lovely and I like playing outside.

六月 (Liùyuè) — June
六月学校放假了，我很高兴。
Liùyuè xuéxiào fàngjià le, wǒ hěn gāoxìng.
School is out in June; I am very happy.

七月 (Qīyuè) — July
七月很热，我们常去游泳。
Qīyuè hěn rè, wǒmen cháng qù yóuyǒng.
July is very hot; we often go swimming.

八月 (Bāyuè) — August
我们八月去台湾海边度假。
Wǒmen bāyuè qù Táiwān hǎibiān dùjià.
In August we go on holiday to the Taiwan coast.

九月 (Jiǔyuè) — September
九月开学了，我认识了新朋友。
Jiǔyuè kāixué le, wǒ rènshi le xīn péngyou.
School started in September; I made new friends.

十月 (Shíyuè) — October
十月天气凉快，适合爬山。
Shíyuè tiānqì liángkuài, shìhé páshān.
October has cool weather, perfect for hiking.

十一月 (Shíyīyuè) — November
十一月树叶变黄变红，很漂亮。
Shíyīyuè shùyè biàn huáng biàn hóng, hěn piàoliang.
In November the leaves turn yellow and red; it's very beautiful.

十二月 (Shí'èryuè) — December
十二月是冬天，天气很冷，晚上我们喝热汤。
Shí'èryuè shì dōngtiān, tiānqì hěn lěng, wǎnshang wǒmen hē rè tāng.
December is winter; it's very cold, and in the evenings we drink hot soup.

How to say a date in Mandarin

Mandarin dates follow a largest-unit-to-smallest-unit order — the opposite of American English but similar to British formal writing. The order is: year (年, nián) + month (月, yuè) + day (日, rì or 号, hào). The day character 日 (rì) is more formal; 号 (hào, literally "number") is the colloquial spoken form.

Chinese	Pinyin	English meaning
二〇二六年九月三日	Èr líng èr liù nián jiǔ yuè sān rì	September 3rd, 2026 (formal)
九月三号	Jiǔ yuè sān hào	September 3rd (casual)
今天几月几号？	Jīntiān jǐ yuè jǐ hào?	What is today's date?
今天九月三号。	Jīntiān jiǔ yuè sān hào.	Today is September 3rd.
我的生日是三月十五号。	Wǒ de shēngrì shì sān yuè shíwǔ hào.	My birthday is March 15th.

The year is read digit by digit: 2026 is 二〇二六 (èr líng èr liù), not 二千零二十六 (though the latter is also understood). In very formal written contexts — official documents, invitations — 日 is preferred over 号. In everyday speech, 号 is overwhelmingly more common for the day number.

To combine a day of the week with a date: 今天是九月三号，星期三 (Jīntiān shì jiǔ yuè sān hào, xīngqīsān) — "Today is September 3rd, Wednesday." The day of the week typically comes at the end, after the date.

Quick reference: days, months, and date vocabulary

Essential date vocabulary

Character	Pinyin	English
星期	xīngqī	week (used in day names)
周	zhōu	week (formal written alternative)
月	yuè	month
年	nián	year
日 / 号	rì / hào	day (formal / casual)
今天	jīntiān	today
昨天	zuótiān	yesterday
明天	míngtiān	tomorrow
这个星期	zhège xīngqī	this week
上个星期	shàng ge xīngqī	last week
下个星期	xià ge xīngqī	next week

Related: Chinese numbers 0–10 — characters, pinyin, stroke order, and cultural notes for the complete number set that underpins days of the week and months in Mandarin.

FAQ

How do you say the days of the week in Mandarin?

The days of the week in Mandarin use 星期 (xīngqī) followed by a number: 星期一 (Xīngqīyī) Monday, 星期二 (Xīngqīèr) Tuesday, 星期三 (Xīngqīsān) Wednesday, 星期四 (Xīngqīsì) Thursday, 星期五 (Xīngqīwǔ) Friday, 星期六 (Xīngqīliù) Saturday, and 星期日 (Xīngqīrì) or 星期天 (Xīngqītiān) Sunday. The system is entirely numeric — Monday is literally "week one," Tuesday is "week two," and so on. Sunday breaks the pattern: it uses 日 (sun) or 天 (sky) rather than the number seven. A formal alternative uses 周 (zhōu) instead of 星期, mostly in written contexts.

How do you say the months of the year in Chinese?

Chinese months are simply a number plus 月 (yuè, month): 一月 (Yīyuè) January through 十二月 (Shí'èryuè) December. The system is completely regular with no exceptions or irregular names. January is "one month," February is "two month," and December is "twelve month." Once you know the numbers 1–12 in Mandarin, you automatically know all twelve months. The characters for months are the same in both Simplified and Traditional Chinese.

What is the difference between 星期 and 周 for days of the week?

Both 星期 (xīngqī) and 周 (zhōu) mean "week" and can form the days of the week. 星期 is the standard form in everyday spoken Mandarin — 星期一 Monday, 星期日 / 星期天 Sunday. 周 is more common in formal written Chinese — newspapers, timetables, official schedules — as 周一 Monday, 周日 Sunday. Both are universally understood. If you are learning to speak, learn 星期 first; if you encounter schedules in written Chinese, expect 周.

How do you say a date in Mandarin Chinese?

Mandarin dates follow year + month + day order — largest unit first. Year uses 年 (nián), month uses 月 (yuè), and day uses 日 (rì) in formal writing or 号 (hào) in spoken/casual contexts. Example: September 3rd, 2026 is 二〇二六年九月三号 (Èr líng èr liù nián jiǔ yuè sān hào) in casual speech, or 二〇二六年九月三日 (Èr líng èr liù nián jiǔ yuè sān rì) in formal writing. To ask the date, say 今天几月几号？(Jīntiān jǐ yuè jǐ hào?)

How do you ask what day of the week it is in Chinese?

Ask 今天星期几？(Jīntiān xīngqī jǐ?) — "What day of the week is today?" The word 几 (jǐ) means "how many" and is used for asking about small numbers. To answer: 今天星期五 (Jīntiān xīngqīwǔ) — "Today is Friday." The same structure works for 昨天 (zuótiān, yesterday) and 明天 (míngtiān, tomorrow): 明天星期几？means "What day is tomorrow?" and 明天星期六 means "Tomorrow is Saturday."

For time expressions that combine naturally with days and months — clock hours, 早上/下午/晚上, and how to ask "What time is it?" in Mandarin — see our Time in Chinese guide. For the number characters that underpin all of these expressions, see our Chinese Numbers 0–10 guide.