HSK 1
上午／下午
shàngwǔ／ xiàwǔ
AM/PM
Structure
上午 / 下午 + [Hour] + 点 + [Minutes] + 分
How it works
In Chinese, time is expressed from the largest unit to the smallest. '上午' refers to the morning (before noon), and '下午' refers to the afternoon (after noon). These terms are placed before the specific time or hour to indicate AM or PM.
Examples
现在是上午九点。
Xiànzài shì shàngwǔ jiǔ diǎn.
It is 9:00 AM now.
下午四点三十分。
Xiàwǔ sì diǎn sānshí fēn.
4:30 PM.
我下午去学校。
Wǒ xiàwǔ qù xuéxiào.
I am going to school in the afternoon.
Common mistakes
Placing '上午' or '下午' after the time (e.g., saying '八点上午' instead of '上午八点').
Tip
Think of it like an address: in Chinese, always start with the 'big' category (morning/afternoon) and move to the 'small' detail (the specific hour).
More HSK 1 grammar
See 上午／下午 in real Chinese
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