星期天

• Pinyin: xīng qī tiān
• Hanzi breakdown: 星 = 日 + 生; 期 = 其 + 月; 天 = 大 (person) + horizontal stroke above (sky)

Meaning

Sunday (colloquial). The everyday spoken word for Sunday, preferred in casual conversation over the more formal 星期日.

In day-to-day speech 星期天 is heard far more often than 星期日. Both mean Sunday and are interchangeable in meaning, but 星期天 has a warmer, more conversational feel.

Examples

1. 星期天我们去公园玩吧！ Let's go to the park on Sunday!
2. 她星期天要去看她的朋友。 She is going to visit her friends on Sunday.
3. 星期天早上我喜欢吃早茶。 I like having brunch on Sunday mornings.

Usage Guide

Context: everyday, spoken

Tone: casual

Do Say

• 星期天你干什么？(What are you doing on Sunday?)
• 这个星期天我们去吃火锅吧。(Let's go eat hot pot this Sunday.)

Don't Say

• 在正式书面语或官方日历中用'星期天'。(Don't use 星期天 in formal written documents or official calendars — use 星期日 there)

Origin & History

星期 (week) + 天 (sky/day). 天 in colloquial Chinese commonly means 'day', making 星期天 the spoken counterpart to the written 星期日.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal