m.
minute (unit of time)
分钟
minute (unit of time)
Minute as a duration of time (分 divide/minute + 钟 clock/bell); counted with 个: 三十分钟 (thirty minutes).
Common Usage & Traps
- 五分钟 — five minutes
- 等十分钟 — wait ten minutes
- 三分钟就到 — I'll be there in three minutes (classic WeChat reply)
- 给我几分钟 — give me a few minutes
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一个分钟一分钟分钟 counts itself, like 天 and 年. Bolting 个 in front is like saying 'one unit of minute'.
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三点五分钟三点五分Reading a clock uses bare 分, not 分钟. 分钟 is only for measuring how long something lasts.
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等我五分等我五分钟For a stretch of time you need the full 分钟. Bare 分 belongs to clock readings.
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五分钟吃饭吃饭五分钟Durations sit after the verb in Chinese. The English word order 'eat for five minutes' does not carry over.
Why does 三点五分 mean 3:05, but 五分钟 means 'five minutes'?
分 reads the clock; 分钟 measures how long something takes.
Think of 分 as the minute hand on a clock face, and 分钟 as a stopwatch in your hand. When you read a time, use bare 分: 三点五分 is 3:05, 三点半 is 3:30. When you measure a stretch of waiting, working, or eating, use 分钟: 等五分钟, 聊了三十分钟. Chinese keeps these two jobs in separate drawers. Say 三点五分钟 and natives picture a clock with a wrong label stuck on it.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Reading a clock | 三点五分 (3:05) | 三点五分钟 |
| Measuring a stretch of time | 等我五分钟 | 等我五分 |
| Asking the exact time | 现在几点几分？ | 现在几点几分钟？ |
| Half past | 三点半 | 三点三十分钟 |
Why do we say 一个小时 but never 一个分钟?
分钟 counts itself, so you never put 个 in front of it.
Some time words already do their own counting, the same way 天 and 年 do. You say 一天, 一年, and 一分钟, with the number going straight in. Other time words are ordinary nouns that still need 个 to be counted, which is why 个小时 and 个月 exist. So 一个小时 and 一小时 both work, but 一个分钟 never does. Same deal with questions: 给我几分钟, not 给我几个分钟.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| One minute | 一分钟 | 一个分钟 |
| Ten minutes | 十分钟 | 十个分钟 |
| A few minutes | 给我几分钟 | 给我几个分钟 |
Why is it 吃饭五分钟 and not 五分钟吃饭?
How long something took goes after the verb, not before it.
Chinese splits time into two jobs. A time point, like 今天 or 三点, goes before the verb: 我明天开会 works, 我开会明天 does not. A duration, like 五分钟 or 两小时, goes after the verb: 吃饭五分钟, 等了他十分钟, 走了半小时. English quietly does the opposite, which is why 五分钟吃饭 slips out so easily. If you want to brag that it was fast, drop 就 right before the verb: 五分钟就吃完了.
“工作两三年，
休息四五天，
读书一小时，
吃饭五分钟。” (Work for two or three years, rest for four or five days, read for an hour, eat for five minutes.)
“工作两三年，
休息四五天，
读书一小时，
吃饭五分钟。” (Work for two or three years, rest for four or five days, read for an hour, eat for five minutes.)
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Duration | 吃饭五分钟 / 等了十分钟 | 五分钟吃饭 |
| Emphasizing it was fast | 五分钟就吃完了 | 就五分钟吃完了 |
| Time point (when) | 我明天八点开会 | 我开会明天八点 |
Appears in Stories 3 stories
Real context sentences across different daily scenarios and graded readings.
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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他早上七点十分开车去学校，四十五 分钟 能到学校。
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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工作两三年，休息四五天，读书一小时，吃饭五 分钟 。
This playful HSK 1 poem twists words you already know and asks how an hour can be small. Read it aloud and laugh; a fun way to practice Chinese.
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分钟 钟在哪儿？
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