How to Say "Thursday" in Chinese

星期四

xīngqīsì

Thursday in Mandarin is 星期四 (xīngqīsì). Wiktionary also lists 禮拜四 / 礼拜四 (lǐbàisì) and 周四 (zhōusì).

Meaning: day of the week (noun)

Ways to say it

The term 星期四 is composed of 星期 (week) and 四 (four), literally meaning 'week four'.

星期四 is the standard, most common way to say Thursday in both spoken and written Mandarin. 周四 and 礼拜四 are informal alternatives.

In Mandarin, you do not need a preposition like 'on' before 星期四 to express 'on Thursday'. The time word can be used directly in the sentence.

xīngqīsì

The character 星 in 星期四 means 'star', reflecting the ancient practice of naming the seven days after the seven visible celestial bodies.
The word 礼拜 (lǐbài) in 礼拜四 literally means 'to worship', which is a linguistic remnant of how Western calendars were first introduced to the region.
In professional contexts, 周四 is often preferred over 星期四 because it is more concise and sounds more business-like.

今天是星期四。
Today is Thursday.
The sentence is useful for stating the current day using 星期四.
Tatoeba #5142184 by musclegirlxyp, translation #1151779 by CK
上周四我错过了列车。
Last Thursday I missed my train.
The sentence is useful for describing a past event using 周四.
Tatoeba #13069575 by maina, translation #8856185 by moxy
雅妮在星期四如约而至。
Yanni showed up on Thursday.
The sentence is useful for describing an appointment or arrival using 星期四.
Tatoeba #9973753 by GlossaMatik, translation #8803355 by Amastan
今天是星期四，我们一起去看电影吧！
Today is Thursday, let's go watch a movie together!
明天是周四，我们有什么计划吗？
Tomorrow is Thursday, do we have any plans?
10 more sentences on Tatoeba

Two colleagues are discussing their meeting schedule.

雨婷 Yuting

我们可以在星期四见面吗？
Wǒmen kěyǐ zài xīngqīsì jiànmiàn ma?
Can we meet on Thursday?
浩然 Haoran

星期四我有会议，不行。
Xīngqīsì wǒ yǒu huìyì, bùxíng.
I have a meeting on Thursday, so I can't.
雨婷 Yuting

那星期五可以吗？
Nà xīngqīwǔ kěyǐ ma?
Then is Friday okay?
浩然 Haoran

好，星期五没问题。
Hǎo, xīngqīwǔ méi wèntí.
Okay, Friday is no problem.

Sources

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