Days of the Week in Chinese
Learn 星期一 xīngqīyī to 星期天 xīngqītiān, plus the short forms Chinese speakers actually use when life gets busy and nobody wants to sound like a textbook.
The good news is that Chinese weekdays are wonderfully logical. Once you learn 星期 xīngqī, most of the week is basically numbers doing the heavy lifting.
You will learn the full names, the short forms with 周 zhōu, and the everyday phrases people use to talk about Monday meetings, weekend plans, and that magical moment when Friday finally shows up.
The Pattern That Makes This Easy
星期 xīngqī means “week.” Then you add a number: 星期一 xīngqīyī is Monday, 星期二 xīngqī’èr is Tuesday, all the way to 星期六 xīngqīliù for Saturday. Sunday is the little rebel of the family: 星期天 xīngqītiān or 星期日 xīngqīrì.
You will also hear 周 zhōu instead of 星期 xīngqī. So 周一 zhōuyī means Monday and 周五 zhōuwǔ means Friday. Same meaning, less syllable traffic.
The 7 Core Day Names
星期一 xīngqīyī
Monday
今天是星期一。Jīntiān shì xīngqīyī. Today is Monday.
星期二 xīngqī’èr
Tuesday
我们星期二见。Wǒmen xīngqī’èr jiàn. See you on Tuesday.
星期三 xīngqīsān
Wednesday
我星期三有课。Wǒ xīngqīsān yǒu kè. I have class on Wednesday.
星期四 xīngqīsì
Thursday
会议在星期四。Huìyì zài xīngqīsì. The meeting is on Thursday.
星期五 xīngqīwǔ
Friday
星期五晚上我很开心。Xīngqīwǔ wǎnshang wǒ hěn kāixīn. I am very happy on Friday night.
星期六 xīngqīliù
Saturday
星期六我们去吃饭。Xīngqīliù wǒmen qù chīfàn. We are going to eat on Saturday.
星期天 xīngqītiān / 星期日 xīngqīrì
Sunday
星期天我在家休息。Xīngqītiān wǒ zài jiā xiūxi. I rest at home on Sunday.
Useful Phrases And Real-Life Sentences
今天是星期三。Jīntiān shì xīngqīsān.
Today is Wednesday.
明天是星期四。Míngtiān shì xīngqīsì.
Tomorrow is Thursday.
昨天是星期二。Zuótiān shì xīngqī’èr.
Yesterday was Tuesday.
我周一上班。Wǒ zhōuyī shàngbān.
I work on Monday.
我们周二开会。Wǒmen zhōu’èr kāihuì.
We have a meeting on Tuesday.
她星期三有考试。Tā xīngqīsān yǒu kǎoshì.
She has an exam on Wednesday.
我星期四很忙。Wǒ xīngqīsì hěn máng.
I am very busy on Thursday.
星期五晚上我们看电影。Xīngqīwǔ wǎnshang wǒmen kàn diànyǐng.
We watch a movie on Friday night.
周六你有空吗？Zhōuliù nǐ yǒu kòng ma?
Are you free on Saturday?
周日我想睡觉。Zhōurì wǒ xiǎng shuìjiào.
I want to sleep on Sunday.
从周一到周五我都很忙。Cóng zhōuyī dào zhōuwǔ wǒ dōu hěn máng.
I am busy from Monday to Friday.
周末我们去公园吧。Zhōumò wǒmen qù gōngyuán ba.
Let’s go to the park on the weekend.
A Small But Very Useful Difference
周末 zhōumò means the weekend as a general idea. 星期六 xīngqīliù and 星期天 xīngqītiān are the specific days. So 我周末很忙。Wǒ zhōumò hěn máng. means “I am busy on the weekend,” while 我星期六很忙。Wǒ xīngqīliù hěn máng. means “I am busy on Saturday.” Tiny difference, big scheduling drama.
Core Days Table
| Hanzi | Pinyin | Meaning | Example (ZH) | Example (Pinyin) | Translation (EN) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 星期一 | xīngqīyī | Monday | 星期一我喝很多咖啡。 | Xīngqīyī wǒ hē hěn duō kāfēi. | I drink a lot of coffee on Monday. |
| 星期二 | xīngqī’èr | Tuesday | 星期二我们有中文课。 | Xīngqī’èr wǒmen yǒu Zhōngwén kè. | We have Chinese class on Tuesday. |
| 星期三 | xīngqīsān | Wednesday | 星期三他去健身房。 | Xīngqīsān tā qù jiànshēnfáng. | He goes to the gym on Wednesday. |
| 星期四 | xīngqīsì | Thursday | 星期四我要写作业。 | Xīngqīsì wǒ yào xiě zuòyè. | I need to do homework on Thursday. |
| 星期五 | xīngqīwǔ | Friday | 星期五晚上我们出去玩。 | Xīngqīwǔ wǎnshang wǒmen chūqù wán. | We go out on Friday night. |
| 星期六 | xīngqīliù | Saturday | 星期六我想晚一点起床。 | Xīngqīliù wǒ xiǎng wǎn yìdiǎn qǐchuáng. | I want to get up later on Saturday. |
| 星期天 / 星期日 | xīngqītiān / xīngqīrì | Sunday | 星期天他们在家做饭。 | Xīngqītiān tāmen zài jiā zuòfàn. | They cook at home on Sunday. |
Short Forms And Week Words
| Hanzi | Pinyin | Meaning | Example (ZH) | Example (Pinyin) | Translation (EN) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 周一 | zhōuyī | Monday | 周一见。 | Zhōuyī jiàn. | See you on Monday. |
| 周二 | zhōu’èr | Tuesday | 周二我不在办公室。 | Zhōu’èr wǒ bú zài bàngōngshì. | I am not in the office on Tuesday. |
| 周三 | zhōusān | Wednesday | 周三晚上我有时间。 | Zhōusān wǎnshang wǒ yǒu shíjiān. | I have time on Wednesday evening. |
| 周四 | zhōusì | Thursday | 周四下午我们聊天吧。 | Zhōusì xiàwǔ wǒmen liáotiān ba. | Let’s chat on Thursday afternoon. |
| 周五 | zhōuwǔ | Friday | 周五老板很开心。 | Zhōuwǔ lǎobǎn hěn kāixīn. | The boss is very happy on Friday. |
| 周六 | zhōuliù | Saturday | 周六你想去哪里？ | Zhōuliù nǐ xiǎng qù nǎli? | Where do you want to go on Saturday? |
| 周日 | zhōurì | Sunday | 周日我一般在家。 | Zhōurì wǒ yìbān zài jiā. | I am usually at home on Sunday. |
| 工作日 | gōngzuòrì | workday / weekday | 工作日他起得很早。 | Gōngzuòrì tā qǐ de hěn zǎo. | He gets up very early on workdays. |
| 平日 | píngrì | weekday / ordinary day | 平日这里很安静。 | Píngrì zhèlǐ hěn ānjìng. | It is very quiet here on weekdays. |
| 周末 | zhōumò | weekend | 周末我们常常做饭。 | Zhōumò wǒmen chángcháng zuòfàn. | We often cook on the weekend. |
Planning Phrases You Will Actually Use
| Hanzi | Pinyin | Meaning | Example (ZH) | Example (Pinyin) | Translation (EN) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 这周 | zhè zhōu | this week | 这周我特别忙。 | Zhè zhōu wǒ tèbié máng. | I am especially busy this week. |
| 下周 | xià zhōu | next week | 下周我们再说吧。 | Xià zhōu wǒmen zài shuō ba. | Let’s talk again next week. |
| 上周 | shàng zhōu | last week | 上周我去了北京。 | Shàng zhōu wǒ qù le Běijīng. | I went to Beijing last week. |
| 每周一 | měi zhōuyī | every Monday | 每周一我们开会。 | Měi zhōuyī wǒmen kāihuì. | We have a meeting every Monday. |
| 从周一到周五 | cóng zhōuyī dào zhōuwǔ | from Monday to Friday | 从周一到周五她都上班。 | Cóng zhōuyī dào zhōuwǔ tā dōu shàngbān. | She works from Monday to Friday. |
| 周五晚上 | zhōuwǔ wǎnshang | Friday night | 周五晚上我们吃火锅。 | Zhōuwǔ wǎnshang wǒmen chī huǒguō. | We eat hot pot on Friday night. |
| 周六上午 | zhōuliù shàngwǔ | Saturday morning | 周六上午我要跑步。 | Zhōuliù shàngwǔ wǒ yào pǎobù. | I am going running on Saturday morning. |
| 这个星期天 | zhège xīngqītiān | this Sunday | 这个星期天你有空吗？ | Zhège xīngqītiān nǐ yǒu kòng ma? | Are you free this Sunday? |
| 下个星期二 | xiàge xīngqī’èr | next Tuesday | 下个星期二我去医院。 | Xiàge xīngqī’èr wǒ qù yīyuàn. | I am going to the hospital next Tuesday. |
| 周中 | zhōuzhōng | midweek | 周中我一般很累。 | Zhōuzhōng wǒ yìbān hěn lèi. | I am usually tired in the middle of the week. |
Common Variants
| Form | Pinyin | Meaning | Use Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 星期天 | xīngqītiān | Sunday | Very common in everyday speech. |
| 星期日 | xīngqīrì | Sunday | Also common, slightly more formal on calendars. |
| 周日 | zhōurì | Sunday | Short, very common in schedules. |
| 礼拜天 | lǐbàitiān | Sunday | Also heard in speech, depending on region and habit. |
| 礼拜一 | lǐbàiyī | Monday | Understandable, but 星期 xīngqī and 周 zhōu are usually safer for beginners. |
Quick Reference Summary
- 星期 xīngqī + number gives you Monday to Saturday.
- 星期一 xīngqīyī to 星期六 xīngqīliù are the regular pattern.
- Sunday is 星期天 xīngqītiān or 星期日 xīngqīrì.
- 周 zhōu is the shorter everyday version: 周一 zhōuyī, 周五 zhōuwǔ, 周日 zhōurì.
- 周末 zhōumò means the weekend, not one specific day.
Final Yak Box
Chinese days of the week are one of those rare language topics that actually behave themselves. Learn 星期 xīngqī, learn the numbers, remember that Sunday likes special treatment, and suddenly your calendar stops looking scary.
The fastest win is this: say the full forms first, then get comfortable with 周 zhōu short forms in daily speech. That is how you sound natural without trying too hard, which is honestly the best kind of progress.
