Chinese word

小时

Pronunciation

Pinyinxiǎo shí

Meaning

  • measure wordhour

Example

我只睡了四小时。wǒ zhǐ shuì le sì xiǎo shí

I slept for only four hours.

Illustration for 小时 (hour)

More examples

我等了半个小时。wǒ děng le bàn gè xiǎo shí

I waited for half an hour.

Core concept

A measured stretch of time made up of sixty minutes.

Common phrases

  • 一个小时yí gè xiǎo shí

    one hour

  • 两个小时liǎng gè xiǎo shí

    two hours

  • 半个小时bàn gè xiǎo shí

    half an hour

Similar words

分钟fēn zhōng: A measure word for a minute-long stretch of time.
钟头zhōng tóu: A casual spoken measure word for an hour of time.
秒钟miǎo zhōng: A measure word for a second-long stretch of time.

Definition in Chinese

作量词用于表示某段时间的持续长度，通常与数字连用，等于六十分钟。zuò liàng cí yòng yú biǎo shì mǒu duàn shí jiān de chí xù cháng dù tōng cháng yǔ shù zì lián yòng děng yú liù shí fēn zhōng

Word origin

The compound 小 (xiǎo, "small") + 时 (shí, "time") presents an hour as a small, countable division of time.

Usage tips

  • For durations, Chinese can place a number directly before 小时 (xiǎoshí, "hour"), and 个 (gè, "general measure word") may also appear; clock times use 点 (diǎn, "o'clock") instead.

Word lists with this word