How To Tell Time In Traditional Chinese (告訴時間

If you can tell time in Chinese, a lot of daily life suddenly gets less chaotic. You can catch the MRT, meet a friend, book a haircut, or answer the very important question: 「現在幾點？」Xiànzài jǐ diǎn? — “What time is it now?”

For the broader learning path, visit our parent guide.

In Taiwan, people often use a mix of 24-hour time for schedules and standard “clock time” in conversation. So yes, you may hear both 「下午三點」xiàwǔ sān diǎn and 「十五點」shíwǔ diǎn in written schedules. Mandarin loves being practical and a little inconsistent. Cute, right?

By the end of this guide, you’ll know how to read the clock, say times naturally, ask and answer time questions, and avoid the classic beginner traps like mixing up 「兩點」liǎng diǎn and 「二點」èr diǎn. For date basics, you can also compare with how to write the date in Traditional Chinese.

Table of Contents

The Core Pattern

The most common pattern is simple:

Pattern	Meaning	Example (ZH)	Pinyin	English
幾點 jǐ diǎn	what time / what hour	現在幾點？	Xiànzài jǐ diǎn?	What time is it now?
幾點幾分 jǐ diǎn jǐ fēn	what hour and what minute	現在三點十分。	Xiànzài sān diǎn shí fēn.	It is 3:10 now.

For hours, Chinese usually says the hour first, then the minutes. Easy. No dramatic plot twists.

How To Say The Hour

Use number + 點 diǎn for the hour.

Traditional Chinese	Pinyin	Meaning	Example (ZH)	Example (Pinyin)	Translation (EN)
一點	yī diǎn	one o’clock	現在一點了。	Xiànzài yī diǎn le.	It’s one o’clock now.
兩點	liǎng diǎn	two o’clock	我們兩點見。	Wǒmen liǎng diǎn jiàn.	Let’s meet at two o’clock.
三點	sān diǎn	three o’clock	現在三點半。	Xiànzài sān diǎn bàn.	It’s 3:30 now.
四點	sì diǎn	four o’clock	我四點下班。	Wǒ sì diǎn xiàbān.	I get off work at 4:00.
五點	wǔ diǎn	five o’clock	火車五點出發。	Huǒchē wǔ diǎn chūfā.	The train leaves at 5:00.
六點	liù diǎn	six o’clock	你六點起床嗎？	Nǐ liù diǎn qǐchuáng ma?	Do you get up at 6:00?
七點	qī diǎn	seven o’clock	晚餐七點開始。	Wǎncān qī diǎn kāishǐ.	Dinner starts at 7:00.
八點	bā diǎn	eight o’clock	八點太早了。	Bā diǎn tài zǎo le.	8:00 is too early.
九點	jiǔ diǎn	nine o’clock	我九點到公司。	Wǒ jiǔ diǎn dào gōngsī.	I arrive at the office at 9:00.
十點	shí diǎn	ten o’clock	電影十點結束。	Diànyǐng shí diǎn jiéshù.	The movie ends at 10:00.
十一點	shíyī diǎn	eleven o’clock	會議十一點開始。	Huìyì shíyī diǎn kāishǐ.	The meeting starts at 11:00.
十二點	shí’èr diǎn	twelve o’clock	十二點吃午餐。	Shí’èr diǎn chī wǔcān.	Eat lunch at 12:00.

Quick note: 兩 liǎng is usually used before a measure word or when counting “two” in a natural way, so people say 兩點 liǎng diǎn, not 二點 èr diǎn, in everyday speech.

How To Say The Minutes

Minutes use 分 fēn. So:

Pattern	Meaning	Example (ZH)	Pinyin	English
三點五分 sān diǎn wǔ fēn	3:05	現在三點五分。	Xiànzài sān diǎn wǔ fēn.	It’s 3:05 now.
三點十分 sān diǎn shí fēn	3:10	我們三點十分出門。	Wǒmen sān diǎn shí fēn chūmén.	We leave at 3:10.
三點二十分 sān diǎn èrshí fēn	3:20	我約了三點二十分。	Wǒ yuē le sān diǎn èrshí fēn.	I made it for 3:20.
三點四十五分 sān diǎn sìshíwǔ fēn	3:45	班機三點四十五分起飛。	Bānjī sān diǎn sìshíwǔ fēn qǐfēi.	The flight takes off at 3:45.

In daily speech, people often shorten things a bit. 三點十分 sān diǎn shí fēn is common. You do not need to say “3:10” like a robot reading a train schedule unless you really want to sound like one.

Common Time Words You Need

Traditional Chinese	Pinyin	Meaning	Example (ZH)	Example (Pinyin)	Translation (EN)
現在	xiànzài	now	現在幾點？	Xiànzài jǐ diǎn?	What time is it now?
早上	zǎoshang	morning	我早上七點起床。	Wǒ zǎoshang qī diǎn qǐchuáng.	I get up at 7:00 in the morning.
上午	shàngwǔ	late morning / before noon	會議在上午十點。	Huìyì zài shàngwǔ shí diǎn.	The meeting is at 10:00 in the morning.
中午	zhōngwǔ	noon	我們中午吃飯。	Wǒmen zhōngwǔ chīfàn.	We eat at noon.
下午	xiàwǔ	afternoon	我下午三點有課。	Wǒ xiàwǔ sān diǎn yǒu kè.	I have class at 3:00 in the afternoon.
晚上	wǎnshàng	evening / night	我們晚上見。	Wǒmen wǎnshàng jiàn.	See you in the evening.
凌晨	língchén	very early morning, after midnight	飛機凌晨一點到。	Fēijī língchén yī diǎn dào.	The flight arrives at 1:00 a.m.
幾點鐘	jǐ diǎn zhōng	what time	你知道現在幾點鐘嗎？	Nǐ zhīdào xiànzài jǐ diǎn zhōng ma?	Do you know what time it is now?

鐘 zhōng is optional in many cases. 幾點？ jǐ diǎn? is enough. 幾點鐘？ jǐ diǎn zhōng? can sound a little more complete, a little more old-school, but both are fine.

Useful Time Phrases For Real Life

Traditional Chinese	Pinyin	Meaning	Example (ZH)	Example (Pinyin)	Translation (EN)
幾點	jǐ diǎn	what time	你幾點下班？	Nǐ jǐ diǎn xiàbān?	What time do you get off work?
一點	yī diǎn	1:00	我們一點開會。	Wǒmen yī diǎn kāihuì.	We have a meeting at 1:00.
兩點	liǎng diǎn	2:00	我兩點到。	Wǒ liǎng diǎn dào.	I’ll arrive at 2:00.
半	bàn	half; half past	現在三點半。	Xiànzài sān diǎn bàn.	It’s 3:30 now.
整點	zhěng diǎn	exact hour	巴士整點發車。	Bāshì zhěng diǎn fāchē.	The bus departs on the hour.
差五分	chà wǔ fēn	five minutes to	現在差五分四點。	Xiànzài chà wǔ fēn sì diǎn.	It is five minutes to four now.
三刻	sān kè	three quarters; 45 minutes past	七點三刻。	Qī diǎn sān kè.	7:45.
準時	zhǔnshí	on time	請準時到。	Qǐng zhǔnshí dào.	Please arrive on time.
遲到	chídào	to be late	我今天遲到了。	Wǒ jīntiān chídào le.	I was late today.
提早	tízǎo	ahead of time / earlier	我們提早十分鐘到。	Wǒmen tízǎo shí fēnzhōng dào.	We arrive ten minutes early.
幾分	jǐ fēn	how many minutes	還有幾分？	Hái yǒu jǐ fēn?	How many minutes are left?
分半	fēn bàn	and a half minutes; informal timing	等我兩分半。	Děng wǒ liǎng fēn bàn.	Wait for me two and a half minutes.

One small Taiwan usage note: in everyday life, people may say 三點半 sān diǎn bàn instead of spelling out 三點三十分 sān diǎn sānshí fēn. Both are correct, but the shorter one sounds more natural in conversation.

Ask And Answer The Time

Situation	Chinese	Pinyin	English
Ask the time	現在幾點？	Xiànzài jǐ diǎn?	What time is it now?
Ask more politely	請問現在幾點？	Qǐngwèn xiànzài jǐ diǎn?	Excuse me, what time is it now?
Answer	現在三點二十分。	Xiànzài sān diǎn èrshí fēn.	It’s 3:20 now.
Answer casually	三點半。	Sān diǎn bàn.	3:30.
Confirm a time	是幾點？	Shì jǐ diǎn?	What time is it?
Schedule a meeting	我們五點見。	Wǒmen wǔ diǎn jiàn.	Let’s meet at 5:00.

If you want a super practical time question, 幾點 jǐ diǎn is the workhorse. It shows up everywhere: at school, in offices, in casual plans, and in the eternal struggle of trying to leave home on time.

12 Real-Life Sentences You Can Use

Traditional Chinese	Pinyin	English Meaning	Example Sentence
你幾點上班？	Nǐ jǐ diǎn shàngbān?	What time do you start work?	你幾點上班？ Nǐ jǐ diǎn shàngbān? What time do you start work?
我八點上班。	Wǒ bā diǎn shàngbān.	I start work at 8:00.	我八點上班。 Wǒ bā diǎn shàngbān. I start work at 8:00.
你幾點下課？	Nǐ jǐ diǎn xiàkè?	What time do you finish class?	你幾點下課？ Nǐ jǐ diǎn xiàkè? What time do you finish class?
我下午四點下課。	Wǒ xiàwǔ sì diǎn xiàkè.	I finish class at 4:00 p.m.	我下午四點下課。 Wǒ xiàwǔ sì diǎn xiàkè. I finish class at 4:00 p.m.
我們三點開會。	Wǒmen sān diǎn kāihuì.	We have a meeting at 3:00.	我們三點開會。 Wǒmen sān diǎn kāihuì. We have a meeting at 3:00.
電影七點開始。	Diànyǐng qī diǎn kāishǐ.	The movie starts at 7:00.	電影七點開始。 Diànyǐng qī diǎn kāishǐ. The movie starts at 7:00.
我三點半有空。	Wǒ sān diǎn bàn yǒu kòng.	I’m free at 3:30.	我三點半有空。 Wǒ sān diǎn bàn yǒu kòng. I’m free at 3:30.
火車十點到站。	Huǒchē shí diǎn dàozhàn.	The train arrives at 10:00.	火車十點到站。 Huǒchē shí diǎn dàozhàn. The train arrives at 10:00.
飛機凌晨一點起飛。	Fēijī língchén yī diǎn qǐfēi.	The flight takes off at 1:00 a.m.	飛機凌晨一點起飛。 Fēijī língchén yī diǎn qǐfēi. The flight takes off at 1:00 a.m.
請準時到。	Qǐng zhǔnshí dào.	Please arrive on time.	請準時到。 Qǐng zhǔnshí dào. Please arrive on time.
我常常遲到。	Wǒ chángcháng chídào.	I’m often late.	我常常遲到。 Wǒ chángcháng chídào. I’m often late.
現在還早。	Xiànzài hái zǎo.	It’s still early now.	現在還早。 Xiànzài hái zǎo. It’s still early now.

If you want to hear time expressions used in standardized learning materials, the Traditional Chinese placement test (TOCFL) and the Traditional Chinese vocabulary test are useful places to practice basic daily language like this. Time vocabulary is boring in the best possible way: it shows up everywhere.

24-Hour Time In Taiwan

In Taiwan, schedules often use the 24-hour clock in writing, especially for transport, office hours, and appointments. The format is usually just the number plus 點.

24-Hour Time	Traditional Chinese	Pinyin	Meaning
13:00	十三點	shísān diǎn	1:00 p.m.
14:30	十四點三十分	shísì diǎn sānshí fēn	2:30 p.m.
18:00	十八點	shíbā diǎn	6:00 p.m.
21:15	二十一點十五分	èrshíyī diǎn shíwǔ fēn	9:15 p.m.

Important nuance: in everyday speech, people often still say 下午一點 xiàwǔ yī diǎn instead of 十三點 shísān diǎn. So if you hear the 24-hour version, do not panic. Your brain is not broken; it just met a schedule.

Simple Time Vocabulary With Helpful Nuance

Traditional Chinese	Pinyin	Meaning	Example (ZH)	Example (Pinyin)	Translation (EN)
點	diǎn	hour; o’clock	現在八點。	Xiànzài bā diǎn.	It’s 8:00 now.
分	fēn	minute	還有五分。	Hái yǒu wǔ fēn.	There are five minutes left.
半	bàn	half past	九點半。	Jiǔ diǎn bàn.	9:30.
一刻	yí kè	quarter past	四點一刻。	Sì diǎn yí kè.	4:15.
三刻	sān kè	quarter to / 45 minutes past	六點三刻。	Liù diǎn sān kè.	6:45.
快	kuài	almost / nearly	快十二點了。	Kuài shí’èr diǎn le.	It’s almost 12:00.
剛好	gānghǎo	exactly; just right	剛好三點。	Gānghǎo sān diǎn.	Exactly 3:00.
過	guò	past	三點過五分。	Sān diǎn guò wǔ fēn.	Five past three.

For beginners, the safest route is to use 幾點, 點, 分, and 半. That already covers a lot of real life. Fancy clock-language can wait. The MRT is not asking for poetry.

Common Mistakes And Easy Fixes

Mistake	Why It Happens	Better Version	Quick Fix
二點	English speakers often use the “formal” number two	兩點 liǎng diǎn	Say 兩 before 點.
三點五十	Trying to copy English order too closely	三點五十分 sān diǎn wǔshí fēn	Put 分 at the end.
現在是三點	Adding extra words in a way that sounds stiff	現在三點 xiànzài sān diǎn	Often you can skip 是.
下午十五點	Mixing 12-hour words with 24-hour numbers	下午三點 or 十五點	Use one system clearly.
幾點鐘了嗎？	Stacking question forms together	現在幾點？	One question mark is enough.
我在三點	Using 在 for time like a location	我三點到。	Use plain time placement.
三點零五分	Over-pronouncing the zero in a casual sentence	三點五分 sān diǎn wǔ fēn	Usually just say the minute.

One more small note: 一 changes tone in some situations. For times, 一點 is usually pronounced yī diǎn when saying one o’clock, though in connected speech it can shift depending on what follows. If you want the super formal version of “one,” you do not need to overthink it. Mandarin has enough little surprises already.

Practice Time

Try these quickly. Short answers are fine. Speed is not the point; accuracy is.

Prompt	Your Answer	Model Answer
What time is it? 2:00	________________	現在兩點。 Xiànzài liǎng diǎn.
It is 3:30.	________________	現在三點半。 Xiànzài sān diǎn bàn.
Meet at 5:15.	________________	五點一刻見。 Wǔ diǎn yí kè jiàn.
I get off work at 6:00.	________________	我六點下班。 Wǒ liù diǎn xiàbān.
The class starts at 10:10.	________________	課程十點十分開始。 Kèchéng shí diǎn shí fēn kāishǐ.
It’s almost 8:00.	________________	快八點了。 Kuài bā diǎn le.

Now try swapping the time words in these sentences:

我三點到。 Wǒ sān diǎn dào. → change to 4:00, 5:00, and 7:30.
我們晚上見。 Wǒmen wǎnshàng jiàn. → change to morning and afternoon.
請準時到。 Qǐng zhǔnshí dào. → change to “please arrive early.”

Quick Reference Summary

Need	Use	Example
Ask the time	幾點？	現在幾點？
Say the hour	number + 點	三點 = 3:00
Say minutes	number + 分	三點十分 = 3:10
Half past	半	四點半 = 4:30
Quarter past	一刻	七點一刻 = 7:15
Almost	快 + time + 了	快九點了 = It’s almost 9:00
Two o’clock	兩點	Not 二點 in normal speech
Taiwan daily use	三點半	More natural than saying every minute in full

If you want to keep drilling, try the TOCFL practice and the vocabulary test again after reviewing time expressions. Repetition is annoying, yes. Also effective. Very rude of language learning.

Yak Takeaway: In Chinese, time usually goes from bigger to smaller: hour first, then minute. Learn 幾點, 點, 分, and 半, and you can handle most everyday time talk without breaking a sweat. The clock wins, but only by a little.