xīng

Origin & Mnemonic:

Tiny celestial lights generated by the sun. A star, celebrity, or tiny speck of light. Sun (日) above birth (生): the sun gives birth to night-sky stars.

Common Usage & Traps

  • 星期 (xīngqī) — week
  • 星期一 (xīngqīyī) — Monday
  • 星期三 (xīngqīsān) — Wednesday
  • 星期六 (xīngqīliù) — Saturday
  • 星期天 (xīngqītiān) — Sunday (spoken)
  • 星期日 (xīngqīrì) — Sunday (written / formal)
  • 星期几 (xīngqī jǐ) — what day of the week
  • 上星期 (shàng xīngqī) — last week
  • 下星期 (xià xīngqī) — next week
  • 一个星期 (yī gè xīngqī) — one week
  • 星星 (xīngxing) — star (the thing in the sky)
  • 一个星 一个星期

    星 alone means star. The unit of time is the two-character 星期. Saying 一个星 sounds like you bought one star.

  • 今天是什么星期? 今天星期几?

    星期几 is the fixed pattern. 什么星期 sounds like you are asking what kind of week it is — like a themed week at a hotel.

  • 星期七 星期天 / 星期日

    The numbered days stop at 星期六. Sunday is the exception and uses 天 or 日.

  • 我下个星去北京 我下个星期去北京

    You cannot shorten 星期 to 星. The two characters travel together.

Why do you ask 今天星期几 and not 今天是什么星期?

星期几 is the fixed pattern; 什么星期 sounds like asking the week's theme.

Chinese asks the day of the week with 几, not 什么. The 几 fills the number slot, so it does the question work. 什么 asks what kind, so 什么星期 sounds like you are asking what kind of week it is — like a themed week at a hotel. The same pattern shows up in dates: 今天几月几号?

DimensionNaturalAvoid
Asking the day今天星期几?今天是什么星期?
Asking the date今天几月几号?今天是什么月什么号?
Answering今天星期三。今天是一个星期三。

Why is Sunday 星期天 and not 星期七?

Sunday is the exception: 星期天 in speech, 星期日 on calendars. Never 星期七.

Monday to Saturday use 一 to 六. Sunday is the exception: it uses 天 or 日 instead of a number. 星期天 is the everyday spoken choice. 星期日 is the formal written version you see on schedules. Saying 星期七 is wrong.

DimensionNaturalAvoid
Everyday speech星期天见!星期七见!
Formal or written星期日 上午9点星期天 上午9点 (too casual for a timetable)
Numbered pattern星期一、星期二、星期六星期七

Can you just say 星 for 'week'?

No. 星 alone means star; 星期 is a fixed two-character word for week.

星 on its own is the star in the sky. The word for week is 星期, and the two characters travel together. You cannot chop it down to 星 any more than you can chop 星期 into 期. If you want to talk about actual stars, use 星星 (xīngxing) — the doubled form is the everyday spoken word for the twinkly things overhead.

DimensionNaturalAvoid
Talking about a week下个星期去北京下个星去北京
Talking about stars今晚星星好多今晚星好多
Counting weeks等一个星期等一个星

Is it 上星期 or 上个星期?

Both work. 上星期 is tighter and more common in speech; 上个星期 is slightly more explicit.

上星期 and 上个星期 mean the same thing and both sound native. 上星期 is the tighter, more spoken version. 上个星期 spells out the 个 measure word, which some learners find easier to hear. Either way, the time phrase goes before the verb, not after it — same rule as 昨天 and 明天.

DimensionNaturalAvoid
Spoken, tight我上星期出差了我出差了上星期
Slightly explicit我上个星期出差了我出差上个星期了
Time before verb下星期我们开会我们开会下星期

Appears in Stories 8 stories

《星期七》 The Week Without Seven
HSK 1 ~2 min read 82 chars
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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 星期二

  • 星期四 星期三

  • 星期五 星期六

  • 星期 没有 星期七 还有一天 星期日

  • 星期天 星期日 名字可以

  • 知道 星期 可以 星期

《三星在哪里?》 Fun Rap to learn Chinese: Where Is \"Samsung\"?
HSK 1 ~1 min read 72 chars
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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 七星

  • 三星 韩国

  • 五星 大饭店中国中文汉语韩语汉字汉子

《吃的东西和喝的东西》 Buying Food and Drinks
HSK 1 ~4 min read 305 chars
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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.

  • 上个 星期天 你说喜欢他们的那个桌子那个电脑椅

  • 那些桌子椅子什么的这个 星期 便宜了

《一二三(2)》 Counting Days and Rhymes
HSK 1 ~2 min read 84 chars
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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.

  • 今天 星期五

  • 昨天 星期四 十四十四四十四十

《一到十二月》 Twelve Months of Love
HSK 1 ~2 min read 108 chars
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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 天天喜欢

  • 星期日 日日爱人超市菜米回家做饭

《问问题》 Asking Questions
HSK 1 ~2 min read 107 chars
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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.

  • 星期 星期几

《大飞机》 The Big Airplane
HSK 1 ~2 min read 97 chars
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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 我们公司的六个北京开会

《一二三 住医院》 Hospital Days, Pricey Plates
HSK 1 ~2 min read 107 chars
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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 星期 七天医院医生很好房间漂亮

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