六 liù

HSK 1 Writing L2

六 started as a drawing of a hut, then got borrowed for the number six.

The ancient shape of 六 looked like a small shelter with a peaked roof. Over time it was flattened into four strokes. Ancient writers borrowed it to mean six, and the hut meaning faded away. Don't hunt for six objects inside the strokes.

Common Usage & Traps

  • 六点 (liù diǎn) — six o'clock
  • 六个 (liù gè) — six (of something)
  • 六月 (Liùyuè) — June
  • 星期六 (Xīngqīliù) — Saturday
  • 六号 (liù hào) — the 6th (of a month)
  • 二十六 (èrshíliù) — twenty-six
  • 十六 (shíliù) — sixteen
  • 六十 (liùshí) — sixty
  • 六点六分 六点零六分

    When the minute is a single digit (1–9), you must say 零 before it. '六点六分' sounds like 'six six minutes' — broken.

  • 我六点起床在早上 我早上六点起床

    Time words go before the verb, and the bigger time word (早上) comes before the smaller one (六点). English order 'I get up at six in the morning' flips in Chinese.

Why is 16 十六 but 60 六十?

16 is 十 + 六 (ten-six); 60 is 六 + 十 (six-ten). No invisible flip.

Chinese builds numbers by stacking units in size order, so 16 is one ten plus six. The one is silent, so it's 十六; for 60, you have six tens, so it's 六十. The character 六 stays second in 16 and first in 60, so they look swapped to English ears.
DimensionNaturalAvoid
16十六 (shíliù)六十 (liùshí)
60六十 (liùshí)十六 (shíliù)

Can you say '我起床六点' to mean 'I get up at six'?

No. Time goes before the verb: 我六点起床. Putting it after sounds broken.

Chinese never tucks time at the end like English does, so the clock word must sit right before the action. Think of it as 'I, at six, get up' — the time frames the verb, not tails after it.
EnglishBroken ChineseNatural Chinese
I get up at six.我起床六点。我六点起床。
I sleep at ten.我睡觉十点。我十点睡觉。

Why do people say '六点零六分' instead of '六点六分' for 6:06?

Single-digit minutes need a 零 after the hour, like 'six oh six' in English.

In Chinese time-telling, if the minute is 1–9, you must insert 零 (líng) after the hour. It separates the hour from the minute so it doesn't sound like 'six six'. Without it, '六点六分' sounds like a stutter, not a time.
TimeNaturalAvoid
6:06六点零六分六点六分
9:05九点零五分九点五分
6:10六点十分六点零十分

Appears in Stories 17 stories

《一两件新衣服》 New Clothes and Good Friends
HSK 1 ~2 min read 84 chars
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This playful poem helps you count and practice vocabulary about clothes, students, and pets. Enjoy the rhythm while learning new words.

  • 三四个小学生,四五个中学生, 五六个 大学生。

  • 六七个 男学生,七八个女同学,八九个好朋友。

  • 卖了 六 只小狗,四百零九元钱。

《我的一天》 My Day by the Clock
HSK 1 ~1 min read 72 chars
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Step through a full day—from morning routines to bedtime—and pick up practical phrases for telling time and talking about your own schedule with a typical Chinese rhyme.

  • 二零二六年 ,十月三十号。

  • 早上 六点 半,起床吃早饭。

《一二三(1)》 Counting Numbers Rhyme
HSK 1 ~1 min read 48 chars
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This rhythmic poem helps you practice numbers from one to ten and larger units. Listen to the beat and count along!

  • 一二三, 四五六 。

  • 七十五,八百三,九千四, 六万一 。

《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'!

  • 一二三, 四五六 。

  • 星期五和 星期六 。

《女朋友的苹果手机》 The Girlfriend's Apple Phone
HSK 3 ~3 min read 314 chars
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This humorous dialogue follows a man who spends all his savings on his girlfriend's Apple phone and a lucky number, leaving him broke. A fun read for HSK 3 learners.

  • 八千六百多 !

  • A: 八千六 ?

《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.

  • 二零一九年,八月 十六日 ,回国第七日,生病第一天。

  • 小菜 三十六 ,大菜八十多。

《慢还是快?》 Slow or Fast? A Language Learner's Debate
HSK 2 ~8 min read 593 chars
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Is four years to reach HSK 5 fast or slow? Follow a conversation between two learners as they compare study hours and share realistic strategies for busy adults.

  • 他们四年能过HSK 六级 。

  • 六百 个小时HSK五级,你的学习真好!

《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!

  • 六月 七八月,九十十一月。

  • 星期一到 六 ,天天喜欢你。

《这个苹果不是中国苹果》 Six Apples, Two Origins
HSK 1 ~1 min read 66 chars
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In this easy story, you will follow a simple trip to the supermarket to buy apples. Practice numbers, question words, and nationalities in a real-life shopping context.

  • 我买了 六个 苹果。

《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 人去北京开会。

《小大学和大小学》 Big and Small Schools
HSK 1 ~1 min read 78 chars
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This playful reading contrasts small universities and big primary schools. You will practice basic words for school levels and sizes while enjoying a simple rhythmic verse.

  • 六 岁上小学。

《苹果十五》 Buying an iPhone in Beijing
HSK 1 ~1 min read 43 chars
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This short story follows a simple shopping trip in Beijing. You will learn words for buying a phone in Chinese.

  • 这个手机 六千多 块钱。

《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.

  • 六 七八九十,昨天星期四;十四是十四,四十是四十。

《米老师的一天》 A Doctor's Daily Routine
HSK 1 ~3 min read 216 chars
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Meet Dr. Mi, a doctor and teacher at Sichuan University. This simple HSK 1 story shows his daily routine from morning to night, helping you learn time expressions and everyday activities.

  • 他下午五点半下班回家, 六点多 到家。

《一家人》 A Family of Six: Little Bao and His Green-Eyed Kids
HSK 2 ~4 min read 256 chars
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This simple HSK 2 story introduces a warm family of six. Follow Little Bao and his British wife as they raise their two green-eyed children, each with their own personality.

  • “小包先生”的家有 六口人 ,他的爸妈、儿子、女儿和他们两口子。

《友好的高友朋》 A Friendly New Friend at Work
HSK 2 ~4 min read 243 chars
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Meet Gao Youpeng, a friendly Beijing coworker who welcomes the narrator with local dishes and a simple language-exchange plan. This warm HSK 2 story is perfect for first readings about work and friendship.

  • 他说 周六 可以教我做几个北京菜。

《时间和时候(1)卖车看电影》 Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow
HSK 1 ~2 min read 146 chars
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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.

  • 早上 六点半 起床。

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