时候

時候

shíhou

noun HSK 1 #82

Meanings

1 time
2 moment
3 period

Characters

to wait; period

Examples

你什么时候来？

Nǐ shénme shíhou lái?

When are you coming?

我小时候住在上海。

Wǒ xiǎo shíhou zhù zài Shànghǎi.

When I was young, I lived in Shanghai.

吃饭的时候不要说话。

Chīfàn de shíhou búyào shuōhuà.

Don't talk while eating.

Tips

grammar

…的时候 means 'when…': 下雨的时候 (when it rains), 上课的时候 (during class). This is one of the most useful grammar patterns.

Stroke Order

时 shí

候 hòu