We’ll begin by learning how to tell hours in Chinese. To tell the hour, simply say:
number of the hour + 点 (diǎn – o’clock)
For example:
两点 (liǎng diǎn) - two o’clock
七点 (qī diǎn) - seven o’clock
十一点 (shí yī diǎn) - eleven o’clock
十二点 (shí èr diǎn) - twelve o’clock
To tell minutes in Chinese, use the formula:
number + 分 (fēn – minutes)
For example:
十三分 (shí sān fēn) - thirteen minutes
十四分 (shí sì fēn) - fourteen minutes
三十三 (sān shí sān fēn) - thirty-three minutes
五十 (wǔ shí fēn) - fifty minutes
Note that, whereas in English it’s fine to omit the word “minutes” (for 8:10, we just say “eight ten”), in Chinese it sounds more natural to always include 分 and say “minutes.”
So, it’s correct to say, “八点十分” (bā diǎn shí fēn), literally “eight o’clock ten minutes.”
How to Tell Half and Quarter Hours
To say “half past,” we use 半 (bàn) which means “half.”
For example:
五点半 (wǔ diǎn bàn) - half past five, 5:30.
To indicate quarters, we say 一刻 (yī kè) which means “quarter hour.”
For example:
三点一刻 (sān diǎn yī kè) - quarter past three, 3:15.
Let’s put it all together and go through some examples of telling time.
11:20:
十一点二十分 (shí yī diǎn è shí fēn) - eleven twenty
4:10:
四点十分 (sì diǎn shí fēn) - four ten
9:15:
九点十五分 (jǐu diǎn shí wǔ fēn) - nine fifteen
九点一刻 (jǐu diǎn yī kè) - quarter after nine
1:30:
一点三十分 (yī diǎn sān shí fēn) - one thirty
一点半 (yī diǎn bàn) - half past one
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