Chinese dates are wonderfully logical — they’re built from numbers. Days = 星期 + number (星期一 = Monday). Months = number + 月 (一月 = January). Full dates go big-to-small: year + month + day, e.g. 2026年6月10号. Learn your numbers and the calendar is almost free.
If you can count to twelve, you can already say most of the Chinese calendar. Unlike English — with its “Wednesday,” “February” and other words to memorise — Chinese just bolts numbers onto a couple of anchor words. It’s one of the most satisfying “oh, that’s easy” moments in the language. Here’s the whole system.
Days of the week
Take 星期 (xīngqī, “week”) and add the number of the day. Sunday is the one exception — it uses 天 (sky/day) or 日 (sun) instead of a number.
| Day | Chinese | Pinyin |
|---|---|---|
| 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 / 星期日 | xīngqītiān / xīngqīrì |
You’ll also hear 周一 (zhōuyī) for Monday, etc. — 周 (zhōu) is an equally common word for “week.”
Months of the year
Even simpler: number + 月 (yuè, “month/moon”). That’s the whole rule.
| Month | Chinese | Pinyin |
|---|---|---|
| January | 一月 | yīyuè |
| February | 二月 | èryuè |
| March | 三月 | sānyuè |
| April | 四月 | sìyuè |
| June | 六月 | liùyuè |
| October | 十月 | shíyuè |
| December | 十二月 | shí'èryuè |
Today, tomorrow & relative days
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 今天 | jīntiān | today |
| 明天 | míngtiān | tomorrow |
| 昨天 | zuótiān | yesterday |
| 后天 | hòutiān | day after tomorrow |
| 这个星期 | zhège xīngqī | this week |
| 下个月 | xiàge yuè | next month |
| 今年 | jīnnián | this year |
Writing a full date
Chinese always orders dates largest to smallest: year → month → day. Use 年 (nián, year), 月 (yuè, month) and 号 (hào, day; 日 rì in formal writing). Years are read digit by digit.
2026年6月10号
èr líng èr liù nián liù yuè shí hào
“June 10, 2026”
Telling the time (bonus)
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 现在几点？ | xiànzài jǐ diǎn? | What time is it? |
| 三点 | sān diǎn | 3 o’clock |
| 三点半 | sān diǎn bàn | 3:30 (half past) |
| 上午 / 下午 / 晚上 | shàngwǔ / xiàwǔ / wǎnshang | morning / afternoon / evening |
The whole calendar in three rules
- Days: 星期 + number (Sunday uses 天/日).
- Months: number + 月.
- Dates: year → month → day, big to small.
Lock the calendar into memory
Because dates are number-based, they click fast — and Hanzijo makes them permanent. Every word comes with native audio and color-coded tones, an exclusive mnemonic, and a place in one SRS schedule so “星期三” and “下个月” stay learned. Home-screen and lock-screen widgets keep them in view — all inside a full HSK 1–9 path.
Learn Chinese with Hanzijo — FreeFrequently asked questions
Why is Sunday different?
Monday–Saturday use 星期 + the numbers 1–6, but Sunday breaks the pattern with 星期天 or 星期日 (using “sky/day” or “sun” rather than a number).
What’s the difference between 号 and 日 for the day?
Both mark the day of the month. 号 (hào) is used in speech and casual writing; 日 (rì) is more formal and common in written/printed dates.
How do you say the year?
Read each digit separately and add 年. So 2026 is 二零二六年 (èr líng èr liù nián), not “two thousand twenty-six.”
Does China use a different calendar?
Daily life uses the standard (Gregorian) calendar as above. The traditional lunar calendar is still used for festivals like Chinese New Year and the Mid-Autumn Festival.