Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 星期 | xīngqī | /ɕiŋ⁵⁵ t͡ɕʰi⁵⁵/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Mainland China, Sinological IPA) /ɕiŋ⁵⁵ t͡ɕʰi³⁵/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Taiwan, Sinological IPA) |
|
| 週 / 周 | zhōu | ||
| 禮拜 / 礼拜 | lé-pài | Hokkien |
The term refers to a period of seven days.
Which one should you use?
星期 is the most common and standard way to say 'week'. 周 is a more formal or written way to express the term. 礼拜 is a more colloquial and common way to say 'week' in spoken Mandarin, often used in Southern China and Taiwan.
Is it said differently in some regions?
礼拜 is specifically noted as being common in Southern China and Taiwan. The forms щинчи and чи are used in Dungan.
How does it change in a sentence?
To ask 'which day of the week', use the phrase 星期几. To specify a particular week, you can use: 上个星期 (last week), 这个星期 (this week) and 下个星期 (next week). When using the colloquial 礼拜, the days are expressed as 礼拜一 (Monday), 礼拜二 (Tuesday) and so on. Similarly, the formal 周 can be used with numbers, such as 周一 (Monday) and 周日 (Sunday). Standard days of the week using 星期 include 星期一 (Monday) through 星期六 (Saturday), with 星期日 being Sunday.
How do you pronounce it?
xīngqī (/ɕiŋ⁵⁵ tɕʰi⁵⁵/)
Did you know?
- The common term 星期 (xīngqī) literally translates to 'star period', because the seven days of the week were historically named after the celestial bodies.
- The word 礼拜 literally means 'worship' or 'religious service'. It entered the Chinese language via Christian missionaries who introduced the seven-day week.
- The formal term 周 is also the name of a famous ancient Chinese dynasty. This creates a linguistic overlap between a unit of time and one of China's most influential historical eras.
Examples in context
- 昨天星期幾？Yesterday was what day of the week?This sentence is useful for asking about the specific day of the week using 星期.Tatoeba #5390925 by xjjAstrus, translation #5573371 by n1ls
- 大约下一星期的雨。It's been raining for around a week.This sentence shows how to describe a duration of approximately one week using 星期.Tatoeba #9953211 by GlossaMatik, translation #33150 by orcrist
- 我上星期在这里玩。I played here last week.This sentence demonstrates how to specify 'last week' using 星期.Tatoeba #9972489 by GlossaMatik, translation #3818647 by CK
- 今天是星期几？What day is it today?
- 我们在周三下午三点见面吧。Let's meet on Wednesday at 3 PM.
- 72 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Zhiqiang and Xiaowen are discussing their schedules.
- 志强 Zhiqiang你下星期有空吗？Nǐ xià xīngqī yǒu kòng ma?Are you free next week?
- 晓雯 Xiaowen我下星期很忙。Wǒ xià xīngqī hěn máng.I am very busy next week.
- 志强 Zhiqiang那我们这个星期见面吧。Nà wǒmen zhège xīngqī jiànmiàn ba.Then let's meet this week.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen好，没问题。Hǎo, méi wèntí.Okay, no problem.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “week” translations and entries 星期, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
