How to use 星期
星期 + Number
Mandarin weekday names use 星期 followed by a number for Monday through Saturday. The count starts with Monday as day one. Sunday takes 天 or 日 instead of the number seven. These names function as time expressions, so they can specify when an activity takes place without an equivalent of English “on.”
A part of the day follows the weekday when you need a more precise time. Words referring to this, last, or next week can further locate the day. In simple statements identifying today's weekday, 是 may appear or be omitted. 礼拜 and 周 provide other common naming systems, though 星期 is a useful starting point.
Examples with pinyin and English
今天是星期一吗？
Is today Monday?
明天星期五，太高兴了。
Tomorrow is Friday. I'm so happy.
星期三我不在上海。
I'm not here in Shanghai on Wednesday.
星期二早上我很忙。
I am busy on Tuesday morning.
What to remember
- Number Monday through Saturday from one.
- Say 星期天 or 星期日 for Sunday.
- Place morning or evening after the weekday.
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Source and editorial notes
Explanation rewritten for Laowai. Examples are adapted from the Laowai English grammar curriculum, with editorial corrections where needed. The original curriculum credits AllSet Learning’s Chinese Grammar Wiki as used with permission. Read the retained source credits.
Difficulty labels describe the level of the explanation; they are not official HSK placement. Send a correction with this page’s URL.