Introduction
Chinese dates run from the largest unit to the smallest: year, then month, then day — the exact reverse of "3rd October 2026". Once you accept that ordering, dates are almost mechanical: the months are just numbers.
Overview
Structure: x 年 (nián) + y 月 (yuè) + z 日 (rì) / 号 (hào)
| Pattern | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| x 年 | 二〇二六年 (èr líng èr liù nián) | 2026 |
| y 月 | 十月 (shíyuè) | October |
| z 号 | 三号 (sān hào) | the 3rd |
| Full date | 二〇二六年十月三号 (èr líng èr liù nián shíyuè sān hào) | 3 October 2026 |
| Weekday | 星期五 (xīngqīwǔ) | Friday |
号 (hào) or 日 (rì)?
- 号 is what people say out loud: 今天几号？(Jīntiān jǐ hào?) — What's the date today?
- 日 is what gets written on forms, invitations and official documents: 二〇二六年十月三日 (èr líng èr liù nián shíyuè sān rì).
- Same meaning, different register. In conversation, always 号 (hào).
- The year is read digit by digit: 2026 is 二〇二六 (èr líng èr liù), never 两千零二十六 (liǎng qiān líng èrshíliù).
Examples
今天是十月三号。
Jīntiān shì shíyuè sān hào.
Today is 3 October.
我的生日是五月十二号。
Wǒ de shēngrì shì wǔyuè shí'èr hào.
My birthday is 12 May.
我一九九八年出生。
Wǒ yī jiǔ jiǔ bā nián chūshēng.
I was born in 1998.
考试是二〇二六年十二月十三号。
Kǎoshì shì èr líng èr liù nián shí'èr yuè shísān hào.
The exam is on 13 December 2026.
今天星期几？
Jīntiān xīngqī jǐ?
What day is it today?
下个月三号我去北京。
Xià gè yuè sān hào wǒ qù Běijīng.
I'm going to Beijing on the 3rd of next month.
Usage Notes
- Months are numbers: 一月 (yīyuè) January … 十二月 (shí'èr yuè) December. There are no month names to memorise.
- Weekdays are numbers too, except Sunday: 星期一 (xīngqīyī) Monday … 星期六 (xīngqīliù) Saturday, then 星期天 (xīngqītiān) or 星期日 (xīngqīrì) for Sunday.
- To ask the date use 几号 (jǐ hào); for the day of the week use 星期几 (xīngqī jǐ). 几 (jǐ) simply takes the slot of the unknown number.
- Dates take 是 (shì) — 今天是十月三号 (Jīntiān shì shíyuè sān hào) — though 是 is often dropped in casual speech.
- Two months are irregular in pronunciation: 一月 is yīyuè and 十二月 is shí'èr yuè — mind the apostrophe, which separates 十 and 二.