Days of the Week in Chinese

The days of the week in Chinese are wonderfully logical: you take the word for "week," 星期 (xīngqī), and add a number. 星期一 (xīngqīyī) is Monday ("week one"), 星期二 is Tuesday, and so on through 星期六 for Saturday. The only exception is Sunday, which uses 日 or 天 instead of a number: 星期日 / 星期天.

The seven days

Learn the numbers 一 (yī) to 六 (liù) and you already know six of the seven days. The week begins on Monday, so Monday is "one," not Sunday.

The three "week" systems: 星期, 周, and 礼拜

Chinese has three interchangeable words for "week," and each forms the days the same way:

• 星期 (xīngqī) — the neutral standard, safe everywhere.
• 周 (zhōu) — slightly more formal and very common in writing; 周一, 周二, … and 周日 for Sunday.
• 礼拜 (lǐbài) — casual and conversational; 礼拜一, … 礼拜天 for Sunday.

In Traditional Chinese, 周 is written 週 and 礼拜 is 禮拜; 星期 is the same in both scripts.

Today, tomorrow, and yesterday

Example sentences

To ask "what day is it," Chinese uses 星期几 (xīngqī jǐ), literally "week which-number" — 几 (jǐ) is the question word for a small number.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the days of the week in Chinese?

星期一 to 星期六 (Monday–Saturday) plus 星期日/星期天 (Sunday), built from 星期 (xīngqī) + a number.

How do you say Monday in Chinese?

Monday is 星期一 (xīngqīyī), literally "week one" — the week starts on Monday.

What's the difference between 星期, 周, and 礼拜?

All mean "week": 星期 is standard, 周 is common/written, and 礼拜 is colloquial.

How do you say Sunday?

星期日 (xīngqīrì, formal) or 星期天 (xīngqītiān, casual) — Sunday doesn't use the number seven.