天
tiān/tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵/
In Mandarin, 'day' is expressed as 天 (tiān).
Meaning: period of 24 hours (noun)
Ways to say it
| Mandarin | 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 period of 24 hours. Depending on the context, it can also mean 'sky' or 'heaven'. It is also frequently used in compounds to refer to 'weather', such as in the phrase for a sunny day.
Which one should you use?
While 天 can mean a 24-hour period, it is also used in compounds to mean 'weather' or 'sky', such as in 晴天 (sunny day). The form 日 is a more formal alternative used for specific dates or in written contexts.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The term 天 is commonly used across mainland China and Taiwan.
How does it change in a sentence?
When counting a specific number of days, 天 acts as a measure word and is placed directly after a number, such as in 三天 (three days).
How do you pronounce it?
tiān (/tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵/)
Did you know?
- While 天 can mean 'day' or 'sky', it is also used to express the concept of 'fate' or 'destiny' in many idioms.
- The word 天 is used in the phrase 天下, which literally means 'under the sky' but is used to mean 'the whole world'.
- The character 日 is an ancient relative of the astronomical symbol for the Sun ☉ and the Egyptian hieroglyph 𓇳.
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 demonstrates 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 shows how 天 is used in a compound to describe weather types.Tatoeba #10520473 by xjjAstrus, translation #11662560 by timmartin
- Zuótiān wǒmen guò de hěn kāixīn. (昨天我们过得很开心。)We had a great day yesterday.
- 703 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Junjie and Jiayi are talking about a business trip.
- 俊杰 Junjie你要去几天？Nǐ yào qù jǐ tiān?How many days are you going for?
- 佳怡 Jiayi我只去三天。Wǒ zhǐ qù sān tiān.I am only going for three days.
- 俊杰 Junjie那挺短的。Nà tǐng duǎn de.That is quite short.
- 佳怡 Jiayi是的，我很快就回来。Shì de, wǒ hěn kuài jiù huílái.Yes, I will be back very soon.
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.
