星期二
xīngqī'èr
Tuesday in Chinese is 星期二 (xīngqī'èr). Wiktionary also lists 禮拜二 / 礼拜二 (lǐbài'èr) and 週二 / 周二 (zhōu'èr).
Meaning: day of the week (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 星期二 | xīngqī'èr |
| 禮拜二 / 礼拜二 | lǐbài'èr |
| 週二 / 周二 | zhōu'èr |
The phrase refers to the day of the week.
What does it mean word for word?
The term 星期二 literally breaks down into 'week' (星期) and 'two' (二).
Which one should you use?
星期二 is the standard, most common way to say Tuesday in both spoken and written Chinese. In contrast, 禮拜二 / 礼拜二 is a more colloquial and informal way to say Tuesday compared to 星期二.
Is it said differently in some regions?
礼拜二 is an informal way to say Tuesday in Taiwan and some southern regions of China. 禮拜二 is the preferred way to say Tuesday in Hong Kong and Macau.
How does it change in a sentence?
To say 'next Tuesday', you place the word for 'next' (下個) before the term for Tuesday. To say 'last Tuesday', you place the word for 'previous/last' (上個) before the term for Tuesday.
How do you pronounce it?
xīngqī'èr
Did you know?
- The term 星期 literally translates to 'star period'. This is a reference to the seven celestial bodies known to ancient astronomers: the sun, the moon and the five visible planets.
- The term 禮拜 used in 禮拜二 originally means 'worship' or 'religious service'. This reflects the historical influence of Christianity in introducing the seven-day week to China.
- The character 週 in 週二 is also used as a measure for 'circumference' or 'cycle' in mathematics and geometry.
Examples in context
- 今天是星期二。Today is Tuesday.This sentence is useful for stating the current day using 星期二.Tatoeba #10961177 by xjjAstrus, translation #3256311 by AlanF_US
- 是的，下個星期二。Yes, next Tuesday.This sentence is useful for confirming a date in the future using 星期二.Tatoeba #6057731 by xjjAstrus, translation #9408774 by BobbyLee
- 派對在星期二舉行。The party's Tuesday.This sentence is useful for stating when an event is held using 星期二.Tatoeba #13556493 by LeviHighway, translation #5506407 by mailohilohi
- 13 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
浩然 asks 梓涵 about her schedule in an office.
- 浩然 Haoran妳星期二有空嗎？nǐ xīng qī èr yǒu kòng ma?Are you free on Tuesday?
- 梓涵 Zihan星期二不行，我下午要開會。xīng qī èr bù xíng, wǒ xià wǔ yào kāi huì.Tuesday doesn't work, I have a meeting in the afternoon.
- 浩然 Haoran那星期三呢？nà xīng qī sān ne?How about Wednesday then?
- 梓涵 Zihan星期三我可以。xīng qī sān wǒ kě yǐ.I can do Wednesday.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “Tuesday” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
