To meet at an appointed time or date. A period, term, issue, or phase; to expect or await. 其 (it/that) beside 月 (moon/month): a particular moon sets the meeting time.
The right-hand piece 月 is the same 月 as in 'month'. Here it carries the idea of time passing, not a moon in the sky. The left piece 其 is there for the sound: qí, close to qī. Put together, 期 is the character for a block of time — a date, a school term, a stretch you're waiting through. That's why it shows up in 星期, 学期, 假期 and 日期.
Days run 星期一 to 星期六. Sunday breaks the pattern. There is no 星期七.
星期 never teams up with 末. The weekend is only 周末.
期待 waits for a thing or an event to happen, not for a bare person. You're excited about something involving them.
Both work. 周 is the short everyday form — but Sunday is 星期天 or 周日, never 星期七.
星期 and 周 both mean 'week', and both build weekdays: 星期一 or 周一, 星期六 or 周六. 周 is the shorter, punchier pick — that's why you always see 周末, 上周, 下周, and news headlines full of 周. 星期 is slightly more spoken and it's the form textbooks teach first. The one hard rule: Sunday is 星期天 or 星期日, or 周日 in speech. 星期七 does not exist. And the weekend is only ever 周末, never 星期末.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday | 星期天 / 星期日 / 周日 | 星期七 |
| The weekend | 周末 | 星期末 |
| Last week / next week | 上周 / 下周 / 上个星期 | 上个周 (clunky, natives dodge it) |
No. 等 is plain waiting with no feeling. 期待 means you're excited for something to happen.
等 is neutral waiting, zero emotion attached: 我在等公交车, 我在等朋友, 我在等你的回复. 期待 is 'looking forward to' — there's hope and excitement baked in, so it needs something good coming your way: 期待假期, 期待见到你, 期待你的回复. That's exactly why 我期待你 sounds off. You're not excited about a person standing there; you're excited about something involving them. And nobody 期待 a bus, unless the bus is somehow a gift.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Waiting for the bus | 我在等公交车。 | 我在期待公交车。 |
| Excited about a trip | 我很期待这次旅行。 | 我很等这次旅行。 |
| Waiting for a friend | 我在等朋友。 | 我在期待朋友。 |
几号 gives the number on the calendar. 星期几 gives the day of the week.
今天几号 asks for the calendar number: 三月八号. 今天星期几 asks for the day of the week: 星期三. Learners mix these up and answer the wrong question — someone asks 今天几号 and gets 星期三 back. Want the whole thing? 今天几月几号？ Notice the 号 never gets dropped. On a form or in formal writing, 日 replaces 号: 2025年3月8日. And 日期 is simply the noun 'date' — 出发日期, 填上日期.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Asking the calendar date | 今天几月几号？ | 今天几月几？ (missing 号) |
| Asking the weekday | 今天星期几？ | 今天几星期？ |
| Date on a form | 2025年3月8日 | 2025年3月8号 (fine out loud, odd on paper) |
Before you read, try clapping the rhythm. This poem introduces the days of the week and a fun secret: Chinese has two names for Sunday, but no 'Week Seven'!
星期一 后 星期二 。
星期四 前 星期三 。
星期五 和 星期六 。
星期 没有“ 星期七 ”，还有一天 星期日 。
星期天 ， 星期日 ，两个名字都可以。
你想知道 星期 几，可以问他 星期 几。
Before you read, think about the questions you ask every day. This simple poem shows you how to ask age, price, time, and more in friendly Chinese.
问 日期 ，几月几？
问 星期 ， 星期几 ？
This is a short dialogue about a shopping trip. A woman buys many things, including food, drinks, furniture, and pet food, while her boyfriend reminds her not to overspend.
我：“上个 星期天 ，你说你喜欢他们的那个桌子和那个电脑椅。
那些桌子、椅子什么的，这个 星期 都便宜了，都不贵。”
This playful poem turns numbers into a rhythm of daily life. As you read, practice counting, days of the week, and common time words in a fun, memorable way.
一二三四五，今天 星期五 。
六七八九十，昨天 星期四 ；十四是十四，四十是四十。
Welcome! This short poem helps you practice the months, weekdays, and mealtimes in Chinese. Read it aloud and notice the rhythm. You already know many of these words!
星期一 到六，天天喜欢你。
星期日 和天，日日和爱人，超市买菜米，回家做饭忙。
Read about a work trip to Beijing where a group of colleagues takes a very large airplane. Practice weather words and actions in a simple travel story.
上个 星期 ，我们公司的六个人去北京开会。
Follow a traveler's unexpected hospital stay in China, where counting days and costs becomes practical learning. Practice numbers, dates, food prices, and simple descriptions of a doctor and room.
休息两 星期 ，七天住医院医生人很好，房间大漂亮。
Ever noticed how similar Chinese words can be? This rhyme plays with place names and homophones, from schools to hotels, even throwing in Samsung's origin. A lighthearted way to boost your word power.
星期 哪七星？
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