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.
星
Common Usage & Traps
- 星期 — week
- 星期一 — Monday
- 星期三 — Wednesday
- 星期六 — Saturday
- 星期天 — Sunday (spoken)
- 星期日 — Sunday (written / formal)
- 星期几 — what day of the week
- 上星期 — last week
- 下星期 — next week
- 一个星期 — one week
- 星星 — star (the thing in the sky)
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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?
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| 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.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| 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.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| 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.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| 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 10 stories
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'!
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星期一 后 星期二 。
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星期四 前 星期三 。
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星期五 和 星期六 。
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星期 没有“ 星期七 ”，还有一天 星期日 。
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星期天 ， 星期日 ，两个名字都可以。
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你想知道 星期 几，可以问他 星期 几。
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.
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星期 哪 七星 ？
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三星 在韩国。
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五星 大饭店，中国和中文，汉语和韩语，汉字和汉子。
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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我：“上个 星期天 ，你说你喜欢他们的那个桌子和那个电脑椅。
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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.
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一二三四五，今天 星期五 。
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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!
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星期一 到六，天天喜欢你。
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星期日 和天，日日和爱人，超市买菜米，回家做饭忙。
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.
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问 星期 ， 星期几 ？
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.
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上个 星期 ，我们公司的六个人去北京开会。
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.
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他 星期一 到 星期五 都要上班。
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.
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休息两 星期 ，七天住医院医生人很好，房间大漂亮。
Join a family on a sweltering Beijing Sunday as a boy learns a funny lesson about playing outside in the summer heat. Perfect for HSK 1 learners.
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今天是 星期天 。
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