(shí hou) - time, moment, period in Mandarin

shíhou

Traditional: 時候

Line drawing of 时候
Coloured illustration of 时候
HSK 1
#101 of 2,700Core 1000

Translation

time, moment, period

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Word origin

时候 (shí hou) pairs 时 (shí), 'time', the sun radical 日 with 寺 as phonetic, and 候 (hòu), 'period' or 'to wait', built on the person radical 亻. The compound means 'time', 'moment' or 'period'.

Origin
compound
Root
时 (shí, 日 sun radical + 寺 phonetic) + 候 (hòu, period)

Stroke order

Stroke order for 时

时

Stroke order for 候

候

Examples

。

When I was young I loved to draw.

?

When are you coming back?

。

Now is not the right time.

?

When are you free?

。

Remember to turn on the lights when it gets dark.

时候 (shí hou) means time, moment, period. It is used as a noun in everyday Mandarin speech.

Where this fits

Used in

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Mandarin · Free printables

时候: worksheet, infographic and listicle

Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "时候" (time, moment, period): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.

This word is taught in chapter 2, lesson 11: 时候, 快, 觉得 and 7 more words.