Chinese Clock Times with 分、刻 and 差

How to use 分、刻、差

For a precise clock time, state the hour with 点 and follow it with the minutes. 分 can mark those minutes explicitly, though speech often leaves it out when the meaning is clear. For single-digit minutes after the hour, 零 commonly signals the empty tens position so the time remains unambiguous.

刻 provides a quarter-hour unit, while 半 covers the half hour. Expressions with 差 describe the amount of time remaining before a target time; their ordering can differ from a straightforward hour-and-minute reading. Keep track of which hour is the target. A clock time locates an event, whereas 分钟 normally measures duration, so choose the appropriate expression for the question being answered.

Examples with pinyin and English

What to remember

• Give the hour before minutes past it.
• Use 零 for single-digit minute readings.
• With 差, identify the target time carefully.

Practise the pattern

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Look up the grammar words

分 · 刻 · 差