时刻 (shí kè) — time in Mandarin

shí​ kè
“time”

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#1378 most common word · HSK 5 · CEFR C1

Pinyin colour key: tone 1 (high flat), tone 2 (rising), tone 3 (dipping), tone 4 (falling), neutral.

Tone breakdown

时刻 is pronounced shí kè. Tap any syllable’s row to hear the whole word.

shí
second tone (rising, ˊ)
kè
fourth tone (sharp falling, ˋ)

In a sentence

Zài nàge shíkè, tā xiǎngqǐle zìjǐ de péngyou.

At that moment, he remembered his friend.

Hear it, then say it right

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Frequently asked questions

What does 时刻 mean?+

时刻 (shí kè) means "time" in Mandarin Chinese.

How do you pronounce 时刻?+

时刻 is pronounced shí kè. It uses the tone 2 (rising), then the tone 4 (falling). Tap the character on this page to hear native audio.

How common is 时刻 in Mandarin?+

时刻 is the #1378 most frequent word in spoken Mandarin, so it is one of the first words worth learning.

Where 时刻 fits

HSK 5 · CEFR C1
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Browse more on the Mandarin vocabulary hub, or read how to learn Mandarin tones.