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今天几号？周几？(jīn tiān jǐ hào? zhōu jǐ?) - Dates and Days of the Week

Learn to ask about and express dates, days of the week, and time references using 今天, 明天, 昨天

Chinese lesson from Wednesday, May 28, 2025

📚 Key Phrase: 今天几号？ (jīn tiān jǐ hào?)

📖

Grammar Focus

In Chinese, asking about dates and days of the week uses specific question patterns with 几号 (jǐ hào) for dates and 周几 (zhōu jǐ) for days of the week.
For dates: 今天/明天/昨天 (jīn tiān/míng tiān/zuó tiān) + 几号？(jǐ hào?) → 今天/明天/昨天 + [number] + 号 (hào)
For days: 今天/明天/昨天 (jīn tiān/míng tiān/zuó tiān) + 周几？(zhōu jǐ?) → 今天/明天/昨天 + 周 (zhōu) + [day number]
🗓️ Days of the week:
• 周一 (zhōu yī) - Monday
• 周二 (zhōu èr) - Tuesday
• 周三 (zhōu sān) - Wednesday
• 周四 (zhōu sì) - Thursday
• 周五 (zhōu wǔ) - Friday
• 周六 (zhōu liù) - Saturday
• 周日/周天 (zhōu rì/zhōu tiān) - Sunday
📅 Time references:
• 今天 (jīn tiān) - today
• 明天 (míng tiān) - tomorrow
• 昨天 (zuó tiān) - yesterday
• 号 (hào) - date/number (for calendar dates)
🔢 Number formation: For dates like 28, say 二十八号 (èr shí bā hào). For days 1-9, just use the number + 号: 五号 (wǔ hào) = 5th.
今天周几？
jīn tiān zhōu jǐ?
What day of the week is today?
明天几号？
míng tiān jǐ hào?
What date is tomorrow?
今天几号？
jīn tiān jǐ hào?
What date is today?
¿Qué fecha es hoy?

词汇 Vocabulary

今天几号？
jīn tiān jǐ hào?
English:
What date is today?
Español:
¿Qué fecha es hoy?
今天是28号
jīn tiān shì èr shí bā hào
English:
Today is the 28th
Español:
Hoy es 28
今天周几？
jīn tiān zhōu jǐ?
English:
What day of the week is today?
Español:
¿Qué día de la semana es hoy?
今天周三
jīn tiān zhōu sān
English:
Today is Wednesday
Español:
Hoy es miércoles
昨天周几？
zuó tiān zhōu jǐ?
English:
What day was yesterday?
Español:
¿Qué día fue ayer?
昨天周二
zuó tiān zhōu èr
English:
Yesterday was Tuesday
Español:
Ayer fue martes
明天几号？
míng tiān jǐ hào?
English:
What date is tomorrow?
Español:
¿Qué fecha es mañana?
明天二十九号
míng tiān èr shí jiǔ hào
English:
Tomorrow is the 29th
Español:
Mañana es 29
昨天和今天我去学校了
zuó tiān hé jīn tiān wǒ qù xué xiào le
English:
Yesterday and today I went to school
Español:
Ayer y hoy fui a la escuela
明天我会去图书馆看书
míng tiān wǒ huì qù tú shū guǎn kàn shū
English:
Tomorrow I will go to the library to read books
Español:
Mañana iré a la biblioteca a leer libros
昨天我去了图书馆
zuó tiān wǒ qù le tú shū guǎn
English:
Yesterday I went to the library
Español:
Ayer fui a la biblioteca

文化 Cultural Insights

In Chinese culture, the week traditionally starts with Monday (周一). When Chinese people ask '今天几号?' they're asking for the calendar date. Time awareness and punctuality are very important in Chinese business and social contexts. The library (图书馆) is a common place for students to study, especially during exam periods.

📖 Reading Practice

📖 小明的一周 - Xiao Ming's Week

Xiǎo Míng de péng yǒu wèn tā: "Jīn tiān jǐ hào?"
小明的朋友问他："今天几号？"
Xiǎo Míng shuō: "Jīn tiān èr shí bā hào."
小明说："今天二十八号。"
"Jīn tiān zhōu jǐ?" péng yǒu yòu wèn.
"今天周几？"朋友又问。
"Jīn tiān zhōu sān," Xiǎo Míng huí dá.
"今天周三，"小明回答。
Péng yǒu shuō: "Zuó tiān zhōu èr, wǒ qù le tú shū guǎn."
朋友说："昨天周二，我去了图书馆。"
Xiǎo Míng shuō: "Zuó tiān hé jīn tiān wǒ dōu qù xué xiào le."
小明说："昨天和今天我都去学校了。"
"Míng tiān jǐ hào?" péng yǒu wèn.
"明天几号？"朋友问。
"Míng tiān èr shí jiǔ hào, zhōu sì," Xiǎo Míng shuō.
"明天二十九号，周四，"小明说。
"Míng tiān wǒ huì qù tú shū guǎn kàn shū," Xiǎo Míng jì xù shuō.
"明天我会去图书馆看书，"小明继续说。
Péng yǒu shuō: "Hǎo de! Wǒ men yì qǐ qù ba!"
朋友说："好的！我们一起去吧！"
Xiǎo Míng hěn gāo xìng: "Tài hǎo le! Míng tiān jiàn!"
小明很高兴："太好了！明天见！"

作业 Homework & Practice

📝 Homework for next class:

1. 📅 Practice asking and answering about dates and days of the week for the current week using: 今天几号？(jīn tiān jǐ hào?), 今天周几？(jīn tiān zhōu jǐ?)

2. 🗓️ Learn the days of the week in order and practice saying them: 周一 (zhōu yī), 周二 (zhōu èr), 周三 (zhōu sān), 周四 (zhōu sì), 周五 (zhōu wǔ), 周六 (zhōu liù), 周日 (zhōu rì)

3. 🔢 Practice saying dates from 1-31 using the pattern: 一号 (yī hào), 二号 (èr hào), 三号 (sān hào)... 三十一号 (sān shí yī hào)

4. ⏰ Try using time references in sentences about your daily activities: 昨天 (zuó tiān), 今天 (jīn tiān), 明天 (míng tiān)

5. 📚 Practice library-related vocabulary: 图书馆 (tú shū guǎn), 看书 (kàn shū), 学校 (xué xiào)

6. 🗣️ Create dialogues asking about dates and days, like in the reading section

💡 Challenge: Plan your week using Chinese dates and days: 周一我去学校 (zhōu yī wǒ qù xué xiào), 周二我去图书馆 (zhōu èr wǒ qù tú shū guǎn)

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