Days of the Week and Months in Chinese: Chart, Writing Practice and Calendar

By the end you can

• Say all seven days and twelve months from one chart. The days are 星期 plus a number from 一 to 六, with 星期天 for Sunday, and the months are a number plus 月. Know 一 to 十二 and you know them all.
  星期一见！ · Xīngqīyī jiàn! · See you on Monday!
• Ask and answer what day it is today, tomorrow and yesterday. Put 几 where the number goes to ask the day, use 今天, 明天 and 昨天, and keep 是 after 不 when you say it isn't that day.
  今天星期几？ · Jīntiān xīngqī jǐ? · What day is it today?
• Use the three words for week: 星期, 周 and 礼拜. 星期 is the everyday word, 周 is the short form on timetables and apps, and 礼拜 is the casual word many families use.
  我周六上课。 · Wǒ zhōuliù shàngkè. · I have class on Saturday.
• Say and read a full date, from the year down to the day. Read the year digit by digit, then the month, the day and the weekday. Use 号 when you speak and 日 when you write.
  今天几月几号？ · Jīntiān jǐ yuè jǐ hào? · What's the date today?
• Write the days and months by hand. Fill the writing grids with all seven days and twelve months, then write your family's birthdays in Chinese order: month, then day with 号.
  我的生日是五月二十号。 · Wǒ de shēngrì shì wǔyuè èrshí hào. · My birthday is May 20.
• Read and fill in a Chinese calendar. Read a Monday-first month headed 一 to 日, work out the weekday of dates in December 2026, and write two plans you hear on the audio.
  十二月五号，星期六，我去看朋友。 · Shí'èryuè wǔ hào, xīngqīliù, wǒ qù kàn péngyou. · On Saturday, December 5, I'm going to see a friend.
• Make plans with 这个, 上个 and 下个. Say this week, last week and next week, put the time before the verb, and plan a week with a friend on the phone.
  我们下个星期六一起看电影吧，十一月十四号。 · Wǒmen xià ge xīngqīliù yìqǐ kàn diànyǐng ba, shíyīyuè shísì hào. · Let's see a film together next Saturday, November 14.

What’s inside

• Chart: Days and Months at a Glance
• How It Works: Today, Tomorrow and Yesterday · Dates Go from Big to Small
• Write: Write the Seven Days · Write the Twelve Months
• Calendar: Fill In a Chinese Calendar · Make Plans for Any Day
• Review: Plan the Week Together

How to use this book

Eight short pages: a chart, two Learn pages, two writing pages, a calendar, plans and a review. Play each line on the free audio and say it back in the pause. At a page a day, you finish in eight days.

1. Day 1: The chart. Page 3. Say the seven days and twelve months with the audio, then cover the English and say them again.
2. Days 2–3: Days and dates. Pages 4 and 5. Ask what day it is with 几, then say today's full date from the year down to the weekday.
3. Days 4–5: Write the days and months. Pages 6 and 7. Fill the grids, then write the birthdays of three people in your family in Chinese order.
4. Days 6–7: Calendar and plans. Pages 8 and 9. Fill in the December calendar, play the two plans on the audio, then say two plans of your own for next month.
5. Day 8: Plan the week together. Page 10. Play the phone call, answer the questions, then say one plan for three different days with the dates. Check your answers at the back.

Who it’s for

Adult beginners who want to say what day it is, give a date and make plans in Mandarin, and anyone who wants a printable chart of the Chinese days of the week and months.

Before you start: Nothing. Every word has characters, pinyin and English, and the free audio reads every Chinese line with a pause to say it back. Knowing the numbers 一 to 十 helps, and the chart shows them too.

Frequently asked questions

Is Sunday 星期天 or 星期日?

Both. 星期天 is what you hear in speech, and 星期日 is what you see printed on calendars. With the short word 周, Sunday is 周日.

What's the difference between 星期, 周 and 礼拜?

All three mean week. 星期 is the everyday word, 周 is the short form on timetables and apps, and 礼拜 is the casual word many families use.

What's the difference between 一月 and 一个月?

一月 is January. Add 个 and 一个月 means one month, a length of time. The chart on page 3 flags this, because it is an easy slip.

Why do Chinese dates start with the year?

A Chinese date runs from big to small: year, month, day, then the day of the week. Read the year digit by digit, so 二〇二六年 is èr líng èr liù nián. Dates written in numbers on forms, like 2026年11月4日, are read the same way.

How long does it take?

Eight days at a page a day: a chart, two Learn pages, two writing pages, a calendar, plans and a review. Play each line on the free audio and say it back in the pause. The answers are at the back.

What should I use next?

Chinese Numbers, Dates and Telling Time: Prices, Weekdays and the Clock adds prices and the clock. To write dates and numbers by hand, see Writing Chinese Numbers: Practice Sheets from 一 to 万, with Formal Numerals.

Do I need a SayMei account?

Yes, to download the PDF, and the account is free: sign up with Google, Apple or your email address. With it we email you a copy of the workbook, keep every workbook you download on your account on all your devices, save your place in the free online practice, and you can practise speaking with Mei Lin, SayMei's AI tutor.

How do I print it?

The PDF is US Letter size. On A4 paper, choose "Fit to page" (or "Scale to fit") in the print dialog so nothing is cut off. Print the whole workbook or only the pages you need; colour looks best, and black and white works too.

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