点
o'clock; dot; a little
diǎn
What does 点 mean?
点 (diǎn) is one of the busiest characters in HSK 1. Its three core uses: (1) telling time on the hour — 三点 (sān diǎn) means 'three o'clock,' and you always use 点 for the hour slot, never 小时; (2) a small quantity, written 一点 / 一点儿 (yìdiǎn / yìdiǎnr), meaning 'a little / a bit,' as in 有点累 ('a bit tired') or 喝一点水 ('drink a little water'); (3) the literal sense of 'dot, point, spot.' English splits these meanings across different words ('o'clock,' 'a little,' 'dot'), but Chinese collapses them into one character whose context tells you which sense applies.
As a verb, 点 also means 'to order' (food at a restaurant) — 点菜 (diǎn cài). All these uses are everyday speech.
Character breakdown
dot; o'clock; a little. The bottom four dots (灬) are the 'fire' radical, originally suggesting small marks like sparks.
Memory hook: Four dots at the bottom = think 'tiny dots' = 'a little bit,' or a dot on the clock face = 'o'clock.'
Example sentences
现在几点？
Xiànzài jǐ diǎn?
What time is it now?
spoken
我七点起床。
Wǒ qī diǎn qǐchuáng.
I get up at seven.
neutral
我有点累。
Wǒ yǒudiǎn lèi.
I'm a little tired.
spoken
请喝一点水。
Qǐng hē yìdiǎn shuǐ.
Please drink a little water.
polite
Common phrases with 点
Synonyms
Don't confuse 点 with
FAQ
Acquire by listening
Hear 点 in real Chinese, not in a flashcard.
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