How to Say "Hours" in Chinese

小时

xiǎoshí

In Chinese, 'hours' is expressed as 小时 (xiǎoshí).

小时 is used to refer to a duration or a quantity of time equal to sixty minutes.

Which one should you use?

While 小时 refers to a length of time, the word 点 is used to indicate a specific point in time, such as 'o'clock'.

When you specify a number of hours, you must place the measure word 个 between the number and 小时. For example, to say 'one hour', you would say 一个小时.

xiǎoshí

While 小时 is used for duration, the word 钟头 'zhōngtóu' is a common colloquial alternative meaning 'hour'. It literally means 'bell head', referencing the bells used to announce the time in old cities.
In traditional Chinese timekeeping, a single 'unit' of time was actually two hours long, known as a 时辰, which divided the day into twelve equal parts.
The word 小时 literally translates to 'small hour'. This was created to distinguish the modern 60-minute hour from the traditional Chinese 'double-hour' system used in ancient timekeeping.

她睡了几小时。
She slept for a few hours.
This sentence is useful for expressing how long someone slept using 小时.
Tatoeba #9007523 by jacintoo, translation #1532049 by LittleBoy
我只睡了两小时。
I slept just two hours.
This sentence is useful for expressing a specific, short duration of sleep using 小时.
Tatoeba #6047457 by verdastelo9604, translation #2234203 by lutao
2个小时过去了。
Two hours passed.
This sentence is useful for describing the passage of time using 小时.
Tatoeba #12686380 by soueihin, translation #11275363 by ddnktr
68 more sentences on Tatoeba

Two friends are discussing a movie they watched.

浩然 Haoran

这部电影有三个小时。
Zhè bù diànyǐng yǒu sān gè xiǎoshí.
This movie is three hours long.
佳怡 Jiayi

三个小时太长了。
Sān gè xiǎoshí tài cháng le.
Three hours is too long.
浩然 Haoran

但是故事非常精彩。
Dànshì gùshì fēicháng jīngcǎi.
But the story is wonderful.
佳怡 Jiayi

那我明天去看看。
Nà wǒ míngtiān qù kànkan.
Then I will go see it tomorrow.

Sources

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