Exercise
Say the date in Chinese
Two ways to practise: read the highlighted date and say it in Chinese, or hear/read the Chinese and click the right day on the calendar.
Tip: the audio is the reference for pronunciation — the pinyin shows the tones, but listen and copy the audio.
How Chinese dates work
A Chinese date goes from big to small: year 年 + month 月 + day 日/号 — for example 2026年3月15日 (“15 March 2026”). In speech the day usually takes 号 (hào) instead of the written 日 (rì). The weekday, if you add it, comes last.
- Months are simply numbered: 一月 January, 二月 February … 十二月 December.
- Days are the ordinary numbers + 号: 一号 the 1st, 十五号 the 15th, 三十一号 the 31st.
- Weekdays are 星期 + a number: 星期一 Monday … 星期六 Saturday, and 星期天 or 星期日 for Sunday. 周一 and 礼拜一 mean the same as 星期一.
- Years are read digit by digit: 2026 is 二零二六年 (èr líng èr liù nián), not "two thousand and twenty-six".
Tips to learn Chinese dates faster
- Learn the numbers 1–31 first — months, days and weekdays are all built from them. The numbers list covers them with audio.
- Remember the order: big to small (year → month → day → weekday), the opposite of English.
- Start with “month + day”, then add the weekday, then the year using the buttons above.
- Say the whole date out loud and compare with the audio.
- Practise a few minutes every day rather than one long session.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say the date in Chinese?
Go from big to small: year 年, month 月, day 日/号 — 2026年3月15日. In speech 号 (hào) is more common than 日 for the day.
What are the days of the week in Chinese?
They are numbered: 星期一 (Mon) to 星期六 (Sat), and 星期天 or 星期日 for Sunday. 周一 … 周日 and 礼拜一 … 礼拜天 mean the same.
How do you say the year in Chinese?
Read the digits one by one: 2026 is 二零二六年 (èr líng èr liù nián), not "two thousand and twenty-six".
Next: practise telling the time in Chinese, or learn the numbers first with the numbers flashcards.