时候
(a moment in) time; when
shíhou
What does 时候 mean?
时候 (shíhou) means 'a moment in time' or 'a point/period of time' and is the building block for almost every Chinese 'when' sentence. The second syllable 候 is unstressed (neutral tone). Two patterns to memorize: (1) 什么时候 (shénme shíhou) = 'when?' as a question — '你什么时候来?' means 'when are you coming?'; (2) [verb/phrase] + 的时候 = 'when / while' as a clause — '我吃饭的时候' means 'when I'm eating.' Unlike English 'when,' Chinese 时候 is a noun, so it follows the time clause and is preceded by 的. Also note: 时候 by itself means 'time' as in 'the right moment,' not as in 'what time is it' (that's 几点). For asking the clock time, use 几点; for asking the occasion or moment, use 什么时候.
Character breakdown
time; hour; season
moment; to wait (neutral tone in this compound)
Memory hook: 时 = time/hour, 候 = a moment; together = 'a moment in time.'
Example sentences
你什么时候来？
Nǐ shénme shíhou lái?
When are you coming?
spoken
我小的时候很喜欢狗。
Wǒ xiǎo de shíhou hěn xǐhuan gǒu.
When I was little, I loved dogs.
neutral
有时候我很累。
Yǒu shíhou wǒ hěn lèi.
Sometimes I'm tired.
spoken
吃饭的时候不要看手机。
Chī fàn de shíhou búyào kàn shǒujī.
Don't look at your phone while eating.
neutral
Common phrases with 时候
Synonyms
时间 means 'time' as a quantity or duration — '我没有时间' ('I don't have time'). 时候 is a specific moment or 'when.' Don't confuse them: 你有时间吗 = 'do you have time?'; 你什么时候来 = 'when are you coming?'
时 alone is a written/literary 'when,' used in formal Chinese: 入冬时 = 'when winter begins.' Spoken Chinese prefers 的时候.
Don't confuse 时候 with
时间 = 'time' as duration or quantity. 时候 = 'moment / when.' English uses 'time' for both, but Chinese is strict. 'I have time' = 我有时间; 'when I'm free' = 我有空的时候.
For 'what time is it' (clock time), use 几点, not 什么时候. 什么时候 asks for the occasion ('when'), not the hour ('what time').