小时候 xiǎo shí hou
“in one's childhood”
time word, noun2021 list level 2Traditional 小時候
新HSK等级2025 HSK 3.0 syllabus level
小时候 appears in the November 2025 exam syllabus in the following numbered entry. Levels refer to the listed reading and use, not every meaning.
- Entry 462: 小时候 xiǎoshíhou — Level 2; official annotation 2 (名). PDF page 91
Separate from the HSK 2.0 and 2021 list labels above. Compare the three lists.
用法How to use 小时候
小时候 is a colloquial noun meaning "in one's childhood / when one was little." It works as a time expression, usually placed before the subject or after it. 在 can optionally introduce it (as in 在我小时候), but 的时候 is redundant because 小时候 already means "when one was little." It refers to the childhood of the subject or speaker and is common in everyday speech.
例句Example sentences
- 我小时候住在北京。wǒ xiǎo shí hou zhù zài běi jīng.When I was little, I lived in Beijing.
- 你小时候喜欢吃什么？nǐ xiǎo shí hou xǐ huan chī shén me?What did you like to eat when you were little?
- 小时候，我们常常一起玩。xiǎo shí hou, wǒ men cháng cháng yì qǐ wán.When we were little, we often played together.
易混词Easily confused
小时候vs童年
童年 also means childhood, but it is more formal and often used in writing or set phrases like 童年生活 and 童年时代. 小时候 is the everyday spoken time expression.