Chinese Dates
Chinese dates are written and spoken differently than English dates. Learning how to read and write dates in Chinese will help you understand calendars, schedules, travel information, and everyday conversations.
Chinese dates usually follow this order:
year + month + day
Example:
2026年3月4日
Each part of the date uses a specific character.
| Character | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 年 | year |
| 月 | month |
| 日 / 号 | day |
Months in Chinese
Chinese months follow a very simple pattern. Each month uses the number of the month followed by the character 月 (yuè).
| Month | Chinese | Pinyin |
|---|---|---|
| January | 一月 | yī yuè |
| February | 二月 | èr yuè |
| March | 三月 | sān yuè |
| April | 四月 | sì yuè |
| May | 五月 | wǔ yuè |
| June | 六月 | liù yuè |
| July | 七月 | qī yuè |
| August | 八月 | bā yuè |
| September | 九月 | jiǔ yuè |
| October | 十月 | shí yuè |
| November | 十一月 | shí yī yuè |
| December | 十二月 | shí èr yuè |
Days of the Week in Chinese
Days of the week are often used together with dates when discussing schedules and events.
| Day | Chinese | Pinyin |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | 星期一 | xīngqī yī |
| Tuesday | 星期二 | xīngqī èr |
| Wednesday | 星期三 | xīngqī sān |
| Thursday | 星期四 | xīngqī sì |
| Friday | 星期五 | xīngqī wǔ |
| Saturday | 星期六 | xīngqī liù |
| Sunday | 星期日 / 星期天 | xīngqī rì / xīngqī tiān |
Example:
2026年3月4日 星期三
Meaning:
Wednesday, March 4, 2026
Writing Dates in Chinese
Chinese dates usually follow this structure:
year年 month月 day日
Examples:
2026年3月4日
2025年8月15日
2024年12月25日
This format is commonly used in newspapers, official documents, and calendars.
Days of the Month in Chinese
Days of the month are written using numbers followed by 日 (rì) or 号 (hào).
Examples:
| Day | Chinese | Pinyin |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | 一日 / 一号 | yī rì / yī hào |
| 2nd | 二日 / 二号 | èr rì / èr hào |
| 3rd | 三日 / 三号 | sān rì / sān hào |
| 10th | 十日 | shí rì |
| 15th | 十五日 | shí wǔ rì |
| 20th | 二十日 | èr shí rì |
Both 日 and 号 are commonly used when referring to calendar dates.
Asking for the Date in Chinese
Here are common phrases used when asking about the date.
What is today’s date?
今天几号？
Pinyin:
jīntiān jǐ hào?
Meaning:
What is today's date?
Example response:
今天是2026年3月4日。
Pinyin:
jīntiān shì 2026 nián sān yuè sì rì
Meaning:
Today is March 4, 2026.
Practice Chinese Dates
You can practice Chinese dates using the interactive tools below.
Try Our Chinese Dates Interactive Translate Tool
Test Your Knowledge. Take the Chinese Numbers Quiz
Related Chinese Pages
Further reference: Wikibooks Mandarin numbers.