Common Usage & Traps
- 昨天 — yesterday
- 昨晚 — last night
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昨昨天In modern spoken Chinese, 昨 is bound and cannot stand alone as a word. Use 昨天 for 'yesterday'.
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昨年去年Chinese says 去年 (qùnián) for 'last year', not 昨年.
昨
Origin & Mnemonic:
The day just elapsed; yesterday. Yesterday; former days; bygone times. A sun (日) that has suddenly (乍) passed—today's previous day.
Can 昨 be used by itself to mean 'yesterday'?
No. In modern Mandarin, 昨 is a bound morpheme and must combine with another character, most commonly 天 to form 昨天.
昨 is not a free word in modern spoken Chinese. It appears in fixed compounds such as 昨天 (yesterday) and 昨晚 (last night). If you want to say 'yesterday' in everyday speech, always use 昨天.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Everyday speech | 昨天 | 昨 |
| Meaning | yesterday | incomplete/bound form |
How is 昨 different from 日?
日 means 'sun' or 'day' and can stand alone; 昨 only appears inside words meaning 'yesterday' or 'last night'.
日 is a common HSK 1 character meaning 'sun' or 'day' and can be used independently, as in 生日 (birthday). 昨 looks similar because it contains 日 on the left, but 昨 itself is not a standalone word. It only appears in time words referring to the previous day or night.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | 日 = sun/day; 昨 = yesterday (bound) | using 昨 alone for 'day' |
| Usage | 日 can stand alone; 昨 must combine | 昨 as a free word |
| Example | 生日 | 昨 as 'day' |
Appears in Stories 3 stories
Follow a day from waking at six-thirty to coming home at eight, then leap across days, months, and years. This simple story helps you practice speaking about routines and life changes with clear time words.
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早中晚， 昨 今明。
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昨天 卖了我的车。
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.
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它们 昨天 就没有吃的东西了。
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.
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六七八九十， 昨天 星期四；十四是十四，四十是四十。
Questions & Discussion 0 questions
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