DICTIONARY
The Chinese word shi - 时 - shí
(time in Chinese)
Phonetic script (Hanyu Pinyin)
shí
Listen to pronunciation
(Mandarin = standard Chinese without accent)
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English translations
time, hour, often, sometimes, age, opportunity,
present, occasionally
Chinese character and stroke order animation"How do I write 时 ( shí ) correctly?"
The strokes that all Chinese characters are composed of are to be written in a certain order which has originally been defined by Chinese calligraphy. Writing all characters according to the same rules assures that their intended shape and style are generally preserved even if written by different writers.
This dictionary shows you the correct stroke order as an animation for all characters so you can learn and understand how to write the character correctly. :
The strokes that all Chinese characters are composed of are to be written in a certain order which has originally been defined by Chinese calligraphy. Writing all characters according to the same rules assures that their intended shape and style are generally preserved even if written by different writers.
This dictionary shows you the correct stroke order as an animation for all characters so you can learn and understand how to write the character correctly. :
时 ( shi / shí ) in traditional characters
時
Chinese Pinyin example sentence with 时 ( shi / shí ) ⓘWriting in Pinyin
Before using this Pinyin example sentence, consider that Chinese characters should always be your first choice in written communication.
If you cannot use Chinese characters, it is preferable to use the Pinyin with tones. Only use the Pinyin without tones if there's no other option (e.g. writing a text message from/to a mobile phone that doesn't support special characters such as ā, í, ǒ, ù).
Before using this Pinyin example sentence, consider that Chinese characters should always be your first choice in written communication.
If you cannot use Chinese characters, it is preferable to use the Pinyin with tones. Only use the Pinyin without tones if there's no other option (e.g. writing a text message from/to a mobile phone that doesn't support special characters such as ā, í, ǒ, ù).
Women anshi dao le.
Wǒmen ànshí dào le.– English translation: We arrived on time.
Topic
(no topic assigned)
Character complexity
时 is composed of 7 strokes and therefore is of low complexity compared to the other simplified Chinese characters (average: 13.1 strokes).
Tags and additional information
(Meaning of individual characters, character components etc.)
often | time zone
时 ( shi / shí ) belongs to the 50 most common Chinese characters (rank 29)
时 ( shi / shí ) belongs to the 50 most common Chinese characters (rank 29)
Chinese example words containing the character 时 ( shi / shí )
按时 ( ànshí = on time ), 比利时 ( Bǐlìshí = Belgium ), 持续时间 ( chíxùshíjiān = duration ), 当时 ( dāngshí = at that time ), 的时候 ( de shíhòu = while ), 及时 ( jíshí = in time ), 平时 ( píngshí = usually ), 时代 ( shídài = age ), 时候 ( shíhou = time ), 时间 ( shíjiān = time ), 时刻 ( shíkè = point in time ), 时刻表 ( shíkèbiǎo = timetable ), 时期 ( shíqī = particular period ), 时区 ( shíqū = time zone ), 时时 ( shíshí = often ), 时态 ( shítài = tense ), 同时 ( tóngshí = in the meantime ), 小时 ( xiǎoshí = hour ), 有时候 ( yǒu shíhou = sometimes ), 有时 ( yǒushí = sometimes ), 暂时 ( zànshí = temporary ) 准时 ( zhǔnshí = on time )
Other characters that are pronounced shí in Chinese
More words that mean time in Chinese
Report missing or erroneous translation of shi in English
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Version 5.52 / Last updated: 2026-11-03