天
tiān/tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵/
The English word 'day' is translated to Chinese as 天 (tiān), meaning a period of 24 hours.
Meaning: period of 24 hours (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 天 | tiān | /tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) /tʰi̯ɑɻ⁵⁵/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Erhua, Sinological IPA, 天兒 / 天儿) |
|
| 日 | ji̍t, li̍t | /lit̚⁵⁴/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Quanzhou, Jinjiang, Nan'an, Taipei, Tainan, Lukang, Kinmen, Singapore, Philippines, Klang, Sinological IPA, Hsinchu, Yongchun, Longyan) /lit̚³⁵/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Quanzhou, Jinjiang, Nan'an, Taipei, Tainan, Lukang, Kinmen, Singapore, Philippines, Klang, Sinological IPA, Hsinchu, Yongchun, Longyan) |
Hokkien |
| 工 | kang | /kɔŋ³³/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Jinjiang, Hui'an, Zhangpu, Sinological IPA, General Taiwanese) /kɔŋ⁴⁴/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Jinjiang, Hui'an, Zhangpu, Sinological IPA, Taipei, Kaohsiung, General Taiwanese) |
Hokkien |
The term 天 refers to a 24-hour period. It is also used to mean 'sky' or 'heaven,' as seen in the word for weather, 天气.
Which one should you use?
While 天 is the common word for 'day' used in spoken language, 日 is frequently used in written or formal contexts to mean 'day' or 'date'.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Dungan, you may see the forms тян or йитян. In Hokkien, the word can be expressed as 日 or 工.
How does it change in a sentence?
When counting a specific number of days, the measure word is often incorporated into the word 天 itself. For example, to say 'three days', you say 三天 rather than using a separate measure word.
How do you pronounce it?
tiān (/tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵/)
Did you know?
- In ancient Chinese thought, the 'Mandate of Heaven' involves the word 天, implying that the cosmic order governs the passage of days and history.
- The formal character 日 is a pictogram of the sun. Its ancient form is closely related to the astronomical symbol for the Sun ☉ and the Egyptian hieroglyph 𓇳.
- While English speakers use 'day' for both a 24-hour period and the light part of a day, Chinese often distinguishes these using 天 for the date and 白天 for daylight.
Examples in context
- 昨天星期幾？Yesterday was what day of the week?This sentence is useful for asking about the day of the week using 天.Tatoeba #5390925 by xjjAstrus, translation #5573371 by n1ls
- 这天会到来。That day shall come.This sentence shows the use of 天 to refer to a specific day.Tatoeba #10260795 by GlossaMatik, translation #44579 by CM
- 明天是晴天。Tomorrow will be a fine day.This sentence demonstrates how 天 is used in the context of a fine day.Tatoeba #10520473 by xjjAstrus, translation #11662560 by timmartin
- 703 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Wei and Zihan are talking about a trip via phone.
- 梓涵 Zihan你打算去几天？Nǐ dǎsuàn qù jǐ tiān?How many days do you plan to go?
- 伟 Wei我只去三天。Wǒ zhǐ qù sān tiān.I am only going for three days.
- 梓涵 Zihan那太短了。Nà tài duǎn le.That is too short.
- 伟 Wei是的，我很忙。Shì de, wǒ hěn máng.Yes, I am very busy.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “day” translations and entries 天, 日, 工, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 工, 日, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
