下午
xiàwǔ
The Chinese word for afternoon is 下午 (xiàwǔ).
下午 is a noun used to describe the part of the day between noon and evening.
Meaning: part of the day between noon and evening (noun)
Which one should you use?
While 下午 refers to the entire afternoon period, 中午 (zhōngwǔ) is used specifically for the midday or noon period. In contrast, 上午 (shàngwǔ) refers to the morning, literally meaning 'above noon'.
How does it change in a sentence?
In Chinese, time expressions such as 下午 function as adverbials and are typically placed before the verb in a sentence.
How do you pronounce it?
xiàwǔ
Did you know?
- The character 午 (wǔ) is derived from the twelfth of the twelve Earthly Branches, which were originally used to tell time in ancient China.
- The term 下午茶 (xiàwǔ chá) for 'afternoon tea' is widely used in urban centers, but it refers to a modern social habit rather than a traditional Chinese custom.
- The character 下 in 下午 means 'below' or 'down', creating a spatial metaphor where the day is viewed as a vertical line with noon as the center point.
Examples in context
- 今天下午下雨。This afternoon it is going to rain.The first sentence shows how to use 下午 to describe rain occurring later in the day.Tatoeba #6092452 by xjjAstrus, translation #7825173 by sharris123
- 明天下午不下雪。It will not snow tomorrow afternoon.The second sentence shows how to use 下午 when discussing snowfall tomorrow.Tatoeba #6092454 by xjjAstrus, translation #6110490 by Sethlang
- 星期三下午我在。I will be here Wednesday afternoon.The third sentence demonstrates the placement of 下午 when stating your presence at a specific time.Tatoeba #6486896 by xjjAstrus, translation #6534838 by kayano
- 134 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two colleagues are planning a meeting time.
- 佳怡 Jiayi你今天下午有空吗？Nǐ jīntiān xiàwǔ yǒu kòng ma?Are you free this afternoon?
- 志强 Zhiqiang我下午两点有个会议。Wǒ xiàwǔ liǎng diǎn yǒu gè huìyì.I have a meeting at 2:00 in the afternoon.
- 佳怡 Jiayi那下午四点可以吗？Nà xiàwǔ sì diǎn kěyǐ ma?Then is 4:00 in the afternoon okay?
- 志强 Zhiqiang下午四点可以，没问题。Xiàwǔ sì diǎn kěyǐ, méi wèntí.4:00 in the afternoon is fine, no problem.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “afternoon” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
