小时
hour
xiǎoshí
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 breakdown
small; little
time; hour
Memory hook: 'Small time' — a small unit of time, which is an hour (compared to a day or year).
Measure word for 小时
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
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小时 appears in 1 podcast episode at natural native speed, with full Chinese script, pinyin, and line-by-line English translation.
Synonyms
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.
Don't confuse 小时 with
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.
FAQ
Related words from the same episodes
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