Definition
小时 is the standard word for 'hour' as a unit of time. 时 (shí) is more formal and often appears in compounds (e.g., 时差 'time difference') or as a classifier after numbers; 钟头 (zhōng tóu) is a colloquial synonym used in everyday speech.
noun
hour
Measure word · 个
Easily confused
- 消失xiāo shīsound-aliketo disappear
Examples
- 小时。Wǒ xué le yì xiǎo shí.I studied for an hour.
- 小时。Wǒ yì tiān shuì bā xiǎo shí.I sleep eight hours a day.
- 小时？Nǐ xué le jǐ xiǎo shí?How many hours did you study?
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