How to write the date in Chinese
11 October 2026 in Chinese
2026年10月11日
In characters
二〇二六年十月十一日
Pinyin
èr líng èr liù nián shí yuè shíyī rì
Day of the week
星期日 xīngqīrì. In speech: 星期天 xīngqītiān
How people say it
十月十一号 shí yuè shíyī hào
The order is year, month, day: biggest to smallest. The year is read one digit at a time.
Dates, numbers and times are early topics in GraphChinese, each taught with audio and then used in real sentences. The whole course, HSK 0 through HSK 6, is $49 once for lifetime access.
Start learning ChineseThe rule: biggest to smallest
- Year first. Read the four digits one by one and add 年 (nián). 2026 is 二〇二六年. In everyday writing the digits stay as numerals: 2026年.
- Then the month. The number of the month plus 月 (yuè). October is 十月.
- Then the day. The number plus 日 (rì) in writing, or 号 (hào) in speech. The 10th is 十日 or 十号.
- Weekday and time come last. 2026年10月10日星期六下午三点 is Saturday 10 October 2026 at 3 pm.
Month and day are read as ordinary numbers, so 12 is 十二 and 31 is 三十一. For bigger numbers see the Chinese number converter.
The months
| Month | Chinese | Pinyin |
|---|---|---|
| January | 一月 | yī yuè |
| February | 二月 | èr yuè |
| March | 三月 | sān yuè |
| April | 四月 | sì yuè |
| May | 五月 | wǔ yuè |
| June | 六月 | liù yuè |
| July | 七月 | qī yuè |
| August | 八月 | bā yuè |
| September | 九月 | jiǔ yuè |
| October | 十月 | shí yuè |
| November | 十一月 | shíyī yuè |
| December | 十二月 | shí'èr yuè |
The days of the week
| Day | Chinese | Pinyin | Short form |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday | 星期日 / 星期天 | xīngqīrì / xīngqītiān | 周日 |
| Monday | 星期一 | xīngqīyī | 周一 |
| Tuesday | 星期二 | xīngqī'èr | 周二 |
| Wednesday | 星期三 | xīngqīsān | 周三 |
| Thursday | 星期四 | xīngqīsì | 周四 |
| Friday | 星期五 | xīngqīwǔ | 周五 |
| Saturday | 星期六 | xīngqīliù | 周六 |
The Chinese week starts on Monday, which is why Monday is "weekday one".
号 or 日
| Word | Pinyin | Where you meet it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 日 | rì | Writing: forms, tickets, contracts, news | 10月10日 |
| 号 | hào | Speech and casual messages | 十月十号 |
To ask the date, say 今天几月几号？ (jīntiān jǐ yuè jǐ hào?). To ask the weekday, say 今天星期几？ (jīntiān xīngqī jǐ?).
Adding the time of day
| Chinese | Pinyin | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 上午 | shàngwǔ | Morning, before noon (am) | 上午九点 9 am |
| 中午 | zhōngwǔ | Midday | 中午十二点 12 noon |
| 下午 | xiàwǔ | Afternoon (pm) | 下午三点 3 pm |
| 晚上 | wǎnshang | Evening | 晚上八点 8 pm |
The part of the day goes before the hour, the same way the year goes before the month. Pinyin on this page is the dictionary reading of each character. In speech 一 changes tone before other syllables, which is covered in the tones guide.
Frequently asked questions
What order does a Chinese date go in?
Year, then month, then day, from the biggest unit to the smallest. 10 October 2026 is 2026年10月10日. The weekday and the time of day come after the day.
How do you say the year in Chinese?
Read each digit on its own and add 年 (nián). 2026 is 二〇二六年, èr líng èr liù nián. It is never read as "two thousand and twenty-six".
What is the difference between 号 and 日?
Both mean the day of the month. 日 (rì) is the written form, used on documents, tickets and news. 号 (hào) is what people say. 十月十日 on paper is 十月十号 in conversation.
How do you say the days of the week in Chinese?
Monday to Saturday are 星期 (xīngqī) plus the numbers one to six: 星期一 is Monday and 星期六 is Saturday. Sunday is 星期日 (xīngqīrì) in writing and 星期天 (xīngqītiān) in speech. 周 (zhōu) can replace 星期: 周一, 周六, 周日.
How do you say the months in Chinese?
The number of the month plus 月 (yuè). January is 一月, October is 十月 and December is 十二月. The months have no names of their own.