Time talk powers real life: trains, meetings, coffee runs, “be there in five.” Mandarin keeps it clean—點 for hours, 分 for minutes, 半 for :30, 刻 for quarters—with a choice between 12-hour talk (plus 早上／下午／晚上) and the 24-hour clock you’ll see on tickets and apps. Learn the core patterns in Traditional Chinese, see pinyin right after, and you’ll never miss the moment.
Core Building Blocks
點
diǎn
O’clock (hour)
分
fēn
Minute
半
bàn
Half past (:30)
刻
kè
Quarter
現在幾點？
xiàn zài jǐ diǎn?
What time is it now?
現在三點二十。
xiàn zài sān diǎn èr shí
It’s 3:20 now.
Time-Of-Day Labels (12-Hour Talk)
早上／上午／中午／下午／晚上
zǎo shàng / shàng wǔ / zhōng wǔ / xià wǔ / wǎn shàng
Morning / late morning / noon / afternoon / evening
下午三點半
xià wǔ sān diǎn bàn
3:30 p.m.
晚上七點十五（七點一刻）
wǎn shàng qī diǎn shí wǔ (qī diǎn yí kè)
7:15 p.m. (a quarter past seven)
中午十二點
zhōng wǔ shí èr diǎn
12:00 noon
半夜十二點（凌晨零點）
bàn yè shí èr diǎn (líng chén líng diǎn)
Midnight (00:00)
The 24-Hour Clock (Schedules, Tickets, Apps)
我二十點十分到。
wǒ èr shí diǎn shí fēn dào
I arrive at 20:10.
明天06:45出發。
míng tiān líng liù diǎn sì shí wǔ chū fā
Depart at 06:45 tomorrow.
會議14:00開始，15:30結束。
huì yì shí sì diǎn líng líng kāi shǐ, shí wǔ diǎn sān shí jié shù
Meeting starts at 14:00 and ends at 15:30.
Past And To The Hour
七點十分
qī diǎn shí fēn
Ten past seven (7:10)
七點半
qī diǎn bàn
Half past seven (7:30)
差十分八點（八點差十分）
chà shí fēn bā diǎn (bā diǎn chà shí fēn)
Ten to eight (7:50)
七點三刻（較書面）
qī diǎn sān kè
7:45 (three quarters)
Ask, Answer, Confirm
請問現在幾點？
qǐng wèn xiàn zài jǐ diǎn?
Excuse me—what time is it now?
現在五點四十二分。
xiàn zài wǔ diǎn sì shí èr fēn
It’s 5:42.
幾點開始？幾點結束？
jǐ diǎn kāi shǐ? jǐ diǎn jié shù?
What time does it start? What time does it end?
大概幾點到？
dà gài jǐ diǎn dào?
About what time will you arrive?
Durations, Deadlines, And Frequencies
一小時／兩個小時
yì xiǎo shí / liǎng ge xiǎo shí
One hour / two hours
半小時
bàn xiǎo shí
Half an hour
二十分鐘
èr shí fēn zhōng
Twenty minutes
十分鐘後提醒我。
shí fēn zhōng hòu tí xǐng wǒ
Remind me in ten minutes.
我六點前一定到。
wǒ liù diǎn qián yí dìng dào
I’ll definitely arrive before six.
“Around,” “Almost,” And “Just Past”
差不多三點
chà bù duō sān diǎn
Around three
快七點了
kuài qī diǎn le
Almost seven
剛過九點
gāng guò jiǔ diǎn
Just past nine
Mini Dialogues（Short, Real, Reusable）
A：你幾點到？
A: nǐ jǐ diǎn dào?
A: What time do you arrive?
B：我二十點十分到。
B: wǒ èr shí diǎn shí fēn dào
B: I arrive at 20:10.
A：那我們晚上八點半見。
A: nà wǒ men wǎn shàng bā diǎn bàn jiàn
A: Then let’s meet at 8:30 p.m.
A：會議幾點開始？
A: huì yì jǐ diǎn kāi shǐ?
A: What time does the meeting start?
B：下午兩點，三點半結束。
B: xià wǔ liǎng diǎn, sān diǎn bàn jié shù
B: 2 p.m., ends at 3:30.
A：請問今天晚上七點有位子嗎？
A: qǐng wèn jīn tiān wǎn shàng qī diǎn yǒu wèi zi ma?
A: Do you have a table at 7 p.m. tonight?
B：有的，但請準時，保留十分鐘。
B: yǒu de, dàn qǐng zhǔn shí, bǎo liú shí fēn zhōng
B: Yes, but please be on time; we hold it for 10 minutes.
Copy-Ready Patterns
現在＿＿點＿＿分。
xiàn zài ______ diǎn ______ fēn
It’s : now.
＿＿點（＿＿點半／＿＿點＿＿分）開始。
______ diǎn (______ diǎn bàn / ______ diǎn ______ fēn) kāi shǐ
Starts at ______ (______:30 / :).
我＿＿點前到／後到。
wǒ ______ diǎn qián dào / hòu dào
I’ll arrive before/after ______.
大概＿＿點左右。
dà gài ______ diǎn zuǒ yòu
Around ______ o’clock.
從＿＿點到＿＿點。
cóng ______ diǎn dào ______ diǎn
From ______ to ______.
Quick Reference Table
| English | Traditional Chinese | Pinyin |
| O’clock (hour) | 點 | diǎn |
| Minute | 分 | fēn |
| Half past | 半 | bàn |
| Quarter past | 一刻 | yí kè |
| Quarter to | 差一刻（八點） | chà yí kè (bā diǎn) |
| Morning / Noon | 早上／上午／中午 | zǎo shàng / shàng wǔ / zhōng wǔ |
| Afternoon / Evening | 下午／晚上 | xià wǔ / wǎn shàng |
| What time is it? | 現在幾點？ | xiàn zài jǐ diǎn? |
| It’s 7:45. | 七點四十五（七點三刻） | qī diǎn sì shí wǔ (qī diǎn sān kè) |
| At 20:10 | 二十點十分 | èr shí diǎn shí fēn |
| Around 3 | 差不多三點 | chà bù duō sān diǎn |
Pronunciation Tips
點 diǎn：third tone—short, crisp drop (don’t drag).
半 bàn：clean fourth-tone fall; keep a tiny gap before and after (sān diǎn bàn, not “sandianban”).
一刻 yí kè：yī often surfaces as yí before a fourth tone; keep kè’s falling tone sharp.
差 chà：when saying “差十分八點,” chà must fall clearly so it doesn’t sound like “almost.”
Common Mistakes And Easy Fixes
Reading 24-Hour Times As 12-Hour Without Labels
Fix: Convert 20:10 to “晚上八點十分” in speech, or keep “二十點十分” in formal settings.
Forgetting Time-Of-Day Labels
Fix: Add 早上／下午／晚上 to 7:00 in daily talk to avoid confusion.
Overusing “現在幾點”
Fix: Use task-focused lines: 我們三點開始嗎？我六點前到。
Practice Plan (Five Honest Minutes)
Read one chain aloud: 三點二十 → 三點半 → 差十分四點.
Rewrite tomorrow’s plan as time sentences (出門、會議、回家).
Record two contrasts: 下午七點 vs. 晚上七點 (make the label obvious).
Send yourself two 24-hour messages: 14:05 到；18:40 離開.
Yak-Style Closing Spark
Time talk is choreography: 點 gives the steps, 分 gives the beat, 半 and 一刻 are your turns. Add the right time-of-day label, switch to 24-hour when needed, and your schedule goes from “uhh” to on-cue.