年 · 月 · 日
full dates: from the biggest unit to the smallest
Structure
数字 + 年 + 数字 + 月 + 数字 + 日／号（+ 星期……）
What it means
A Chinese date goes from the biggest unit to the smallest: year, then month, then day, then the day of the week.
How it is built
Number + 年 + number + 月 + number + 日 (or 号), then 星期…: 2025年9月26日，星期五 (Friday, 26 September 2025).
When to use it
日 is written on tickets, forms and calendars; in speech people say 号: 今天九月二十六号. Read the year one digit at a time: 2025年 is èr líng èr wǔ nián.
Watch out
Never read the year as one big number: 1949年 is yī jiǔ sì jiǔ nián. And never start with the day as in English: ✗ 26日9月 ✓ 9月26日.
Examples
今天是2025年9月26日，星期五。
Today is Friday, 26 September 2025.
李月的车票是2025年9月30日的。
Li Yue’s train ticket is for 30 September 2025.
2025年10月1日是星期三。
1 October 2025 is a Wednesday.
Learn this in HSK 1 · Lesson 8: 今天几月几号 (Dates and the calendar)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
Open the lesson →