Expressing time, days, and dates correctly is an essential part of daily life in Hong Kong and other Cantonese-speaking regions.

You need these exact phrases to schedule meetings, make reservations, or catch the right train.

Cantonese time-telling relies on a very logical system using numbers.

Once you understand the basic counters and formulas, you can easily talk about the calendar and the clock.

Here’s a straightforward guide to expressing time, days, and dates in Cantonese.

Telling the time in Cantonese

To say the hour in Cantonese, you use the word 點 (dim2), which means “o’clock”.

You simply place the number before the word 點.

For example, one o’clock is 一點 (jat1 dim2).

The only exception is two o’clock, which uses 兩 (loeng5) instead of 二 (ji6).

Two o’clock is always 兩點 (loeng5 dim2).

When it comes to minutes, Cantonese has two different methods.

The first method is the standard way, where you state the exact minute using the word 分 (fan1).

For example, 1:10 is 一點十分 (jat1 dim2 sap6 fan1).

The second method is the “word” system, which is extremely common in spoken Cantonese.

Cantonese speakers group minutes into five-minute intervals called “words” or 個字 (go3 zi6).

If you look at a clock face, the number 1 represents 5 minutes.

Therefore, 5 minutes is “one word” or 一個字 (jat1 go3 zi6).

Following this pattern, 15 minutes is “three words” or 三個字 (saam1 go3 zi6).

Time expressed as 1:15 would be 一點三個字 (jat1 dim2 saam1 go3 zi6).

For half-past the hour, you use the word 半 (bun3), which means “half”.

Time expressed as 1:30 is 一點半 (jat1 dim2 bun3).

To indicate AM or PM, you simply add the time of day before the actual time.

Morning is 朝早 (ziu1 zou2).

Afternoon is 晏晝 (aan3 zau3).

Evening or night is 夜晚 (je6 maan5).

Therefore, 8:00 AM is 朝早八點 (ziu1 zou2 baat3 dim2).

Days of the week in Cantonese

The days of the week in Cantonese follow a simple numbered pattern.

You use the base word 星期 (sing1 kei4) or 禮拜 (lai5 baai3) followed by a number from one to six.

Monday is day one, Tuesday is day two, and so on.

Sunday is the only exception to the number rule, as it uses the word 日 (jat6) or 天 (tin1) instead of a number.

Here’s a table showing the days of the week in Cantonese.

Months and dates in Cantonese

Months in Cantonese are just as straightforward as the days of the week.

You simply use the number of the month from 1 to 12, followed by the word 月 (jyut6).

January is the first month, so it’s 一月 (jat1 jyut6).

December is the twelfth month, so it’s 十二月 (sap6 ji6 jyut6).

For the specific day of the month, you use the word 號 (hou6) in spoken Cantonese.

In written Chinese, you’ll see the word 日 (jat6) used instead of 號.

The 15th of the month is spoken as 十五號 (sap6 ng5 hou6).

To say the year, you read the year digit by digit followed by the word 年 (nin4).

The year 2024 is read as 二零二四年 (ji6 ling4 ji6 sei3 nin4).

When putting it all together, Cantonese follows a “largest to smallest” order for dates.

You must state the year, then the month, and finally the day.

December 25, 2024 is expressed as 二零二四年十二月二十五號 (ji6 ling4 ji6 sei3 nin4 sap6 ji6 jyut6 ji6 sap6 ng5 hou6).

Useful time-related phrases

Now that you know the rules, you can start putting these words into practice.

Here are a few common dialogue examples involving time, days, and dates.