Plan Your Week in Chinese: Days of the Week and Months (A1)

Setting up coffee on Friday? Booking a trip for August? With just a few patterns, you can say any day of the week or month in Chinese. In this A1-friendly guide, you’ll learn simple, super-useful phrases you can use right away.

Days of the week (星期)

In Chinese, days of the week are delightfully logical. You take the word for “week” and add a number:

  • Monday: 星期一 (xīngqī yī)
  • Tuesday: 星期二 (xīngqī èr)
  • Wednesday: 星期三 (xīngqī sān)
  • Thursday: 星期四 (xīngqī sì)
  • Friday: 星期五 (xīngqī wǔ)
  • Saturday: 星期六 (xīngqī liù)
  • Sunday: 星期日 (xīngqī rì) or 星期天 (xīngqī tiān)

You’ll also hear 周 (zhōu) or 礼拜 (lǐbài) instead of 星期. For example, 周一 = Monday. At A1, stick with 星期 — it’s the most common and clear.

星期 xīngqī
week
noun
这个星期我很忙。
I’m busy this week.
星期一 xīngqī yī
Monday
noun
星期一我上班。
I work on Monday.
星期五 xīngqī wǔ
Friday
noun
我们星期五见。
Let’s meet on Friday.
星期日 xīngqī rì
Sunday (more formal)
noun
星期日我休息。
I rest on Sunday.
周末 zhōumò
weekend
noun
周末你有空吗？
Are you free on the weekend?
Mandarin
今天星期几？
Lit: today week what
What day of the week is it today?
Mandarin
今天星期三。
Today is Wednesday.
星期七 → 星期日 / 星期天 Sunday is not ‘week seven’ in Chinese. Use 日 or 天 for Sunday.
星期 week 天 day

我们见。

💬 Putting it together: ask the day and plan

Months (月)

Months are even easier. Just say a number (1–12) + 月 (yuè, month):

  • 一月 (January), 二月 (February), 三月 (March), 四月 (April), 五月 (May), 六月 (June)
  • 七月 (July), 八月 (August), 九月 (September), 十月 (October), 十一月 (November), 十二月 (December)

That’s it! No unique names to memorize.

月 yuè
month
noun
这个月很忙。
This month is busy.
一月 yī yuè
January
noun
一月很冷。
January is cold.
八月 bā yuè
August
noun
我的生日是八月。
My birthday is in August.
十二月 shí'èr yuè
December
noun
现在是十二月。
It’s December now.
下个月 xià gè yuè
next month
noun phrase
我们下个月去旅行。
We’re traveling next month.
Mandarin
上个月我很忙。
Lit: last month I very busy
I was busy last month.

我的生日是。

🔠 Put the words in order

Build ‘Today is September 20th.’ with 今天是 + month + date.

十月月 → 十月 Never repeat 月. One 月 is enough.
🧠 Days and Months Check

Quick practice: mix days and months

Use these patterns to talk about plans.

  • 我们星期五见。 We’ll meet on Friday.
  • 我下个月去北京。 I’m going to Beijing next month.
  • 这个月的周末我不在。 I’m away this month’s weekends.

我们去北京。

我们星期出发。

周 week 末 end

Cultural notes

  • 星期, 周, 礼拜: All mean “week.” 星期 is standard and clear in most situations. 周 is common in writing and headlines. 礼拜 is used in some regions and everyday speech.
  • Sunday choice: 星期日 (formal) appears in news, printed calendars, and official texts; 星期天 (colloquial) is very common in conversation.
  • Planning talk: People often use short forms like 周一、周五 in messages. At A1, it’s fine to use the full 星期 + number.

Keep it simple: remember 星期 + 一/二/三/四/五/六 and 星期日/星期天; months are 1–12 + 月. With these, you can schedule like a pro.

Wrap-up

You now know how to say every day and month in Chinese. Try making three sentences:

  1. 今天星期几？
  2. 我们星期五见。
  3. 我下个月去旅行。

Consistency beats complexity. Use the patterns, and they’ll stick. 加油! (You’ve got this!)