Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 春天 | chūntiān | /ʈ͡ʂʰu̯ən⁵⁵ tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) /ʈ͡ʂʰu̯ən⁵⁵ tʰi̯ɛn²/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) |
|
| 春季 | chūnjì | /ʈ͡ʂʰu̯ən⁵⁵ t͡ɕi⁵¹/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) /t͡sʰɵn⁵⁵ kʷɐi̯³³/ (Cantonese, Guangzhou, Sinological IPA, Standard Cantonese, Hong Kong) |
|
| 春 | chhun | /t͡sʰun⁴⁴/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Sinological IPA, Xiamen) /t͡sʰun³³/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Sinological IPA, Quanzhou) |
Hokkien |
| 春天 | chhun-thiⁿ | /t͡sʰun³³ tʰĩ³³/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Penang, Sinological IPA, General Taiwanese) /t͡sʰun³³⁻²¹ tʰĩ³³/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Penang, Sinological IPA, General Taiwanese) |
Hokkien |
The term refers to the season between winter and summer in temperate climates.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 春天 is composed of 春 meaning spring and 天 meaning day, sky or time, literally translating to 'spring time'.
Which one should you use?
While 春天 is the common way to say spring, 春季 is a more formal or technical term often used in weather reports, academic contexts or official documents. Additionally, 仲春 is a formal term used specifically to signify the middle of spring.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The informal variation 春天儿 is commonly used in northern China, and the word чунтян is used in Dungan. The forms 春 and 春天 (romanized as chhun-thiⁿ) are used in Hokkien.
How does it change in a sentence?
The single character 春 can function as a noun meaning spring, but it is more commonly used as a prefix in compound words related to spring, such as 春节.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization for 春天 is chhun-thiⁿ, and the IPA is /ʈʂʰu̯ən⁵⁵ tʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵/.
Did you know?
- The character 春 may have originated from a word meaning 'egg' or 'testicle', linked to the observation that birds lay eggs during the warmer months of the new year.
Examples in context
- 春天尚未來臨。It's not spring yet.The sentence using 春 is useful for stating that spring has not yet arrived.Tatoeba #1589692 by tsayng, translation #792539 by ryanthewired
- 春天是我最喜爱的季节。Spring is my favorite season.The sentence using 春 is useful for expressing a personal preference for the season.Tatoeba #1415756 by sadhen, translation #681990 by Source_VOA
- 春天是适合种树的季节。Spring is the season for planting trees.The sentence using 春 is useful for describing the seasonal suitability for planting trees.Tatoeba #13889017 by jan_OkulaJu, translation #1348299 by Eldad
- 这个春天异常温暖。This spring is unusually warm.
- 我喜欢春天的花。I like the flowers in spring.
- 春天来了！Spring is here!
- 春天的阳光特别温暖。Spring sunshine is especially warm.
- 73 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about the weather.
- 雨婷 Yuting我好喜歡春天。Wǒ hǎo xǐhuān chūntiān.I really like spring.
- 浩然 Haoran我也喜歡，天氣很舒服。Wǒ yě xǐhuān, tiānqì hěn shūfú.I like it too, the weather is very comfortable.
- 雨婷 Yuting浩然，你看花都開了。Hàorán, nǐ kàn huā dōu kāi le.Haoran, look, the flowers have bloomed.
- 浩然 Haoran沒錯，春天真的來了。Méicuò, chūntiān zhēnde lái le.That's right, spring has really arrived.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “spring” translations and entries 春天, 春季, 春, 春天, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 春, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
