分鐘 / 分钟
fēnzhōng
The English word minute in Chinese is expressed as 分鐘 / 分钟 (fēnzhōng). Wiktionary also lists 分 (fēn).
Meaning: unit of time (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 分鐘 / 分钟 | fēnzhōng | ||
| 分 | fēn | /fən⁵⁵/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) /fəɻ⁵⁵/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Erhua, Sinological IPA, 分兒 / 分儿) |
|
| 分鐘 / 分钟 | hun-cheng | Hokkien |
The term 分钟 is used specifically to refer to a duration of time (a minute). If you mean a small amount of time, you can use 一会儿.
Which one should you use?
The form 分 is a shorter form of 分钟. The term 分钟 is used specifically to refer to a duration of time (a minute), while 分 is used for both the duration and the specific position in clock time. Additionally, 分鐘 / 分钟 is the Hokkien form.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The forms фынҗун and минута are Dungan. The form 分鐘 / 分钟 is Hokkien.
How does it change in a sentence?
When telling time (e.g., 10:05), the character 分 is used to denote the minutes past the hour.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation for 分鐘 / 分钟 is fēnzhōng.
Did you know?
- The character 分 literally depicts a knife separating things into parts. This etymology suggests that a 'minute' is fundamentally a small division of a larger whole.
- In Chinese, the word 分 can also mean 'cent' or 'penny' when talking about money.
- In ancient Chinese measurements, 分 referred to a unit of length equal to 1/10th of a 'cun' 寸.
Examples in context
- 一分鐘有 60 秒。A minute has 60 seconds.This sentence demonstrates the use of 分.Tatoeba #13180279 by LeviHighway, translation #12517364 by Ergulis
- 我能跟你私下谈一分钟吗？Can I talk to you privately for a minute?This sentence uses 分.Tatoeba #5978359 by verdastelo9604, translation #4014386 by CK
- 人平均一分钟眨几次眼睛？How many times a minute does the average person blink?Tatoeba #10752782 by GlossaMatik, translation #950918 by darinmex
- 五分钟five minutes
- 等一下，我只需要一分钟Wait a moment, I only need one minute.
- 三刻钟45 minutes
- 十分钟ten minutes
- 几分钟a few minutes
- 我等了几分钟I waited for a few minutes.
- 29 more sentences on Tatoeba
Sources
- Wiktionary, “minute” translations and entries 分, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 分, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
