n.
week
星期
week
A week. Paired with numbers 1 to 6 for Monday through Saturday, and 日/天 for Sunday.
Common Usage & Traps
- 星期一 — Monday
- 星期几 — what day of the week
- 这个星期 — this week
- 下个星期 — next week
- 三个星期 — three weeks
- 下礼拜 — next week (casual speech)
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星期七星期天 / 星期日The week runs 一 to 六 and then stops. English says 'Sunday' as a seventh day, so the pattern begs for 星期七, but Chinese never built it.
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三星期三个星期A stretch of weeks is counted with 个, same as 三个苹果. Without it the phrase sounds like a stripped telegram.
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我去北京下个星期我下个星期去北京Time words like 下个星期 sit in front of the verb, not tacked on after the destination.
How do you ask what day of the week it is today?
星期几 asks the weekday, 几号 asks the date. Mixing them is the classic beginner slip.
星期几 literally means 'week how many', and the answer is 星期一 through 星期天. The word 几号 asks for a calendar number instead, like 五号 for the fifth. If a coworker asks 今天几号 and you answer 星期三, they still have no number. Stack them when you want both: 今天星期几？几号？
“问星期，星期几？” (To ask about the week, say 'what day of the week?')
“问星期，星期几？” (To ask about the week, say 'what day of the week?')
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Asking the weekday | 今天星期几？ | 今天几号？ |
| Asking the date | 今天几号？ | 今天星期几？ |
| Placing 是 | 今天是星期三。 | 今天星期三是。 |
Can I swap 星期 for 礼拜 and say 下礼拜 instead of 下星期?
Yes in speech, but 礼拜 sounds folksy. Keep 星期 for anything written.
礼拜 originally meant a worship service, and it still does — 做礼拜 is what you do at church. As a word for 'week' it is warm, common, and slightly old-school, mostly northern. Nobody will blink at 下礼拜 across a dinner table, but a contract or news article will always print 下星期. One more trap: 星期天 and 星期日 are both correct, with 天 spoken and 日 printed.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Written Chinese | 下个星期 | 下礼拜 |
| Sunday | 星期天 / 星期日 | 星期七 |
| Worship service | 做礼拜 | 做星期 |
For a three-week trip, do you say 三个星期 or 三星期?
Say 三个星期. Weeks get counted with 个, exactly like apples.
When 星期 means a length of time, it needs 个 in front of the number, just like 三个苹果. So 我学了三个星期中文 is right, while 我学了三星期中文 sounds clipped and robotic. The day names are a totally separate system: 星期三 is one fixed label, not a count of three anything. Say 三个星期三 only if you really mean three separate Wednesdays.
| Dimension | Natural | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Counting time | 学了三个星期 | 学了三星期 |
| Naming a weekday | 星期三 | 第三个星期 |
| Casual version | 三个礼拜 | 三礼拜 |
Appears in Stories 6 stories
Real context sentences across different daily scenarios and graded readings.
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 没有“星期七”，还有一天星期日。
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你想知道 星期 几，可以问他 星期 几。
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。
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？
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。
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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那些桌子、椅子什么的，这个 星期 都便宜了，都不贵。”
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