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HSK 2

小时

hour

nounneutral
小
xiǎo3rd tone
时
shí2nd tone

HSK level

1
2
3
4
5
6
Pinyin
xiǎoshí
Part of speech
noun
Level
HSK 2
Strokes
10
Register
neutral
Measure word
个

Stroke order for 小时

小时 is written with 10 strokes (小: 3, 时: 7). The animation replays automatically.

What does 小时 mean?

小时 (xiǎoshí) is the Chinese word for an 'hour' as a unit of duration — how long something lasts.

Crucially, Chinese splits a concept English combines: 小时 measures duration ('I worked for two hours' → 我工作了两个小时), while 点 (diǎn) tells the time of day ('it's two o'clock' → 现在两点). Don't say 我两小时去 — that mixes the two. 小时 takes the measure word 个: 一个小时, 两个小时.

For half-hours, say 半个小时 (half an hour) or 一个半小时 (one and a half hours). A more colloquial alternative is 钟头 (zhōngtóu), heard in northern speech. In formal/written Chinese, 小时 is universal — bus schedules, work contracts, and news reports all use it.

Character by character

小xiǎosmall; little
+
时shítime; hour
=
小时

Memory hook: 'Small time' — a small unit of time, which is an hour (compared to a day or year).

Example sentences

我每天工作八个小时。

Wǒ měi tiān gōngzuò bā ge xiǎoshí.

I work eight hours every day.

neutral

从北京到上海要五个小时。

Cóng Běijīng dào Shànghǎi yào wǔ ge xiǎoshí.

It takes five hours from Beijing to Shanghai.

neutral

我等了你半个小时。

Wǒ děng le nǐ bàn ge xiǎoshí.

I waited for you for half an hour.

spoken

这家店24小时营业。

Zhè jiā diàn èrshísì xiǎoshí yíngyè.

This shop is open 24 hours.

written

Common phrases with 小时

一个小时yí ge xiǎoshíone hour
半个小时bàn ge xiǎoshíhalf an hour
几个小时jǐ ge xiǎoshía few hours; how many hours
24小时èrshísì xiǎoshí24 hours
小时工xiǎoshí gōnghourly worker

Synonyms

钟头zhōngtóu

Colloquial northern equivalent of 小时. 一个钟头 = 一个小时. 钟头 sounds more casual and conversational; 小时 is universal and acceptable in writing.

时shí

时 alone, in modern usage, is bound — appearing in compounds like 小时, 时间, 时候. It can mean 'hour' in classical/literary contexts (古时 'ancient times'), but in spoken Chinese, use 小时 for hours.

Don't confuse 小时 with

点diǎn

点 = o'clock (time of day): 三点 'three o'clock.' 小时 = hours of duration: 三个小时 'three hours.' English uses 'hour' for both; Chinese strictly separates them.

时间shíjiān

时间 means 'time' as an abstract concept or as 'a period of time': 我没有时间 ('I don't have time'). 小时 is the specific 60-minute unit. 'Two hours of time' = 两个小时的时间.

时候shíhou

时候 means 'time' in the sense of 'when' — 什么时候 ('when?'), 小时候 ('childhood,' literally 'small times'). 小时 is the duration unit.

FAQ

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