时候 shí hou
“time; length of time; moment”
nounHSK 1 · 2021 list level 1Traditional 時候
新HSK等级2025 HSK 3.0 syllabus level
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 185: 时候 shíhou — Level 1; official annotation 1 (名). PDF page 84
Separate from the HSK 2.0 and 2021 list labels above. Compare the three lists.
用法How to use 时候
时候 means “time” in the sense of an occasion, moment, or period, not clock time. It often appears in the pattern 的时候 (“when...” or “at the time of...”) after a verb or adjective phrase, and it is also common in expressions like 什么时候 (“when”) and 有时候 (“sometimes”).
例句Example sentences
- 我小的时候很喜欢看书。wǒ xiǎo de shí hou hěn xǐ huan kàn shū.When I was little, I liked reading very much.
- 你什么时候回家？nǐ shén me shí hou huí jiā?When are you going home?
- 吃饭的时候不要说话。chī fàn de shí hou bú yào shuō huà.Don't talk while eating.
易混词Easily confused
时候vs时间
时间 is time as a measurable amount (clock time, duration), while 时候 is an occasion or moment, usually in 的时候.