时

shí

Pinyin
shí
Pinyin (Plain)
shi
Tone
2
Strokes
7
Radical
日
Readings
shíshiTone: 2old variant of 時|时[shi2]Order: 0Primary
Stroke Order Code
Speed
Stroke Order Data
["M 196 672 Q 178 690 156 696 Q 146 700 134 697 Q 127 691 133 679 Q 151 601 153 597 Q 153 593 154 585 Q 166 378 135 256 Q 120 201 157 154 Q 167 141 179 153 Q 189 169 191 187 L 195 221 Q 196 243 196 275 Q 197 357 198 419 L 199 450 Q 202 618 204 632 Q 205 639 205 645 C 206 663 206 663 196 672 Z", "M 308 198 Q 318 182 330 165 Q 346 141 353 144 Q 365 147 379 180 Q 389 208 385 326 Q 370 617 392 654 Q 402 672 394 683 Q 387 693 338 708 Q 316 717 298 707 Q 243 682 196 672 C 167 665 176 639 205 645 Q 308 666 311 666 Q 314 666 318 662 Q 331 649 332 594 Q 336 371 327 248 Q 330 229 315 227 C 300 210 300 210 308 198 Z", "M 198 419 Q 252 432 294 440 Q 315 446 306 457 Q 294 470 270 471 Q 224 474 199 450 C 177 430 169 412 198 419 Z", "M 191 187 Q 198 196 308 198 C 338 199 338 207 315 227 Q 311 231 304 235 Q 288 244 195 221 C 166 214 165 172 191 187 Z", "M 749 536 Q 833 548 918 561 Q 921 564 924 567 Q 925 580 901 592 Q 859 616 772 590 Q 760 587 750 584 L 700 573 Q 699 574 697 573 Q 661 567 425 535 Q 394 532 418 512 Q 454 482 485 490 Q 579 509 700 529 L 749 536 Z", "M 700 529 Q 701 381 702 118 Q 701 93 688 84 Q 682 80 601 93 Q 568 103 571 93 Q 572 86 594 72 Q 664 24 683 -5 Q 705 -39 721 -38 Q 736 -39 749 -4 Q 765 42 761 114 Q 746 325 749 536 L 750 584 Q 750 701 767 757 Q 783 788 728 809 Q 694 828 675 820 Q 657 813 674 791 Q 696 764 697 730 Q 698 712 700 573 L 700 529 Z", "M 483 348 Q 513 318 543 283 Q 556 270 572 268 Q 582 268 589 281 Q 595 296 588 326 Q 582 360 482 396 Q 466 400 460 399 Q 454 395 455 382 Q 458 372 483 348 Z"]
Meaning
In modern Chinese, “时” mainly means “time” or “a point in time,” and appears in words like 时间 (time) and 时刻 (moment). It can also mean “when” or “while” in sentence patterns like 当时 / …的时候 (at that time / when …).
Metadata
Locale: en
Cached At: 5/9/2026, 2:27:48 AM

Usage

The character 时 (simplified; 時 in traditional) is most commonly learned with the meaning “time” or “o’clock.” In beginners’ materials it shows up quickly in words like 时候 (shíhou, time/moment, e.g. 有时间的时候 when you have time), 小时候 (when [someone was] little), and in telling the time with 点钟: 七点的时候 (at seven o’clock). It’s also used in fixed time-related words such as 时间 (time, duration), 平时 (normally, in ordinary times), 有时 / 有时候 (sometimes), 当时 (at that time), and 临时 (temporary). Learners also meet 时 in some very frequent “when…” patterns. The structure Verb + 的时候 means “when [doing something]”: 吃饭的时候不要看手机 (“Don’t look at your phone when eating”). It appears in some common adverbs or set phrases built around the idea of time or timing, such as 及时 (in time, timely) and 偶尔 / 有时 (occasionally, sometimes—often explained together). In modern everyday Chinese, most uses of 时 revolve around these “time / moment / when” meanings rather than more literary senses.

Handwriting Notes

时 is visually compact and slightly rectangular, with the left component “日” enclosed in a partial “门” frame on the left and right. In everyday handwriting, people often simplify and connect strokes: the “门” part may be written with a more open top or a slightly curved left vertical line, and the “日” inside can lose some squareness, with the inner horizontal strokes becoming shorter, lighter, or almost merging into a single gesture. The whole character may lean slightly, and proportions vary: some writers make the left “门” wider and the inner “日” narrower; others compress the character so it looks tall and thin. These natural variations in stroke thickness, curvature, and spacing mean that the handwritten 时 can look quite different from its printed form, so AI handwriting recognition systems are trained on many such variants to reliably recognize the character across different personal writing styles and input methods (such as stylus or finger writing on touchscreens).

Description

时 is a common simplified Chinese character meaning “time,” “hour,” or “moment.” It often appears in words like 时间 (shíjiān, time) and 小时 (xiǎoshí, hour). In modern Mandarin, it is pronounced “shí” (second tone).

Common Words

  • 时间shíjiāntime
  • 时候shíhoutime; moment; when
  • 小时xiǎoshíhour
  • 及时jíshítimely; in time
  • 准时zhǔnshíon time; punctual
  • 时刻shíkèmoment; time; constantly
  • 小时候xiǎoshíhouwhen (someone) was little; in childhood
  • 平时píngshínormally; usually; at ordinary times
  • 临时línshítemporary; at the last minute
  • 按时ànshíon time; according to schedule
  • 时时shíshíconstantly; often
  • 时常shíchángoften; frequently
  • 时光shíguāngtime (as in period of life); era
  • 时代shídàiera; age; epoch
  • 时髦shímáofashionable; stylish
  • 时尚shíshàngfashion; fashionable
  • 时机shíjīopportunity; the right moment
  • 时差shíchātime difference; jet lag
  • 时钟shízhōngclock
  • 节省时间jiéshěng shíjiānto save time
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