# 時候
## Chinese
### Pronunciation

* Mandarin
    (Standard)
       (Pinyin): shíhou, shíhòu
       (Zhuyin): ㄕˊ ˙ㄏㄡ, ㄕˊ ㄏㄡˋ
    (Chengdu, Sichuanese Pinyin): si$^2$ hou$^4$
    (Xi'an, Guanzhong Pinyin): síhou
    (Nanjing, Nanjing Pinyin): shiíhou
    (Dungan, Cyrillic and Wiktionary): сыху (sɨhu, I-II)
* Cantonese
    (Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): si$^4$ hau$^6$
    (Yangjiang, Jyutping++): si$^4$ hau$^6$
* Gan (Wiktionary): si$^4$ heu$^5$
* Hakka
    (Sixian, PFS): sṳ̀-heu
    (Meixian, Guangdong): si$^2$ hêu$^4$
* Jin (Wiktionary): si$^1$ hou$^3$
* Northern Min (KCR): sî-hē
* Eastern Min (BUC): sì-hâiu
* Southern Min
    (Hokkien, POJ): sî-hāu / sî-hiō
    (Teochew, Peng'im): si$^5$ hao$^7$
* Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): $^6$zy-gheu
* Xiang (Changsha, Wiktionary): shr$^2$ hou
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese, standard in Mainland)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: shíhou
*** Zhuyin: ㄕˊ ˙ㄏㄡ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: shíhho̊u
*** Wade–Giles: shih$^2$-hou$^5$
*** Yale: shŕ-hou
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shyr.hou
*** Palladius: шихоу (šixou)
*** Sinological IPA : /ʂʐ̩³⁵ xoʊ̯³/
** (Standard Chinese, erhua-ed) (時候兒 / 时候儿)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: shíhour
*** Zhuyin: ㄕˊ ˙ㄏㄡㄦ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: shíhho̊ur
*** Wade–Giles: shih$^2$-hou$^5$-ʼrh
*** Yale: shŕ-hour
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shyr.houl
*** Palladius: шихоур (šixour)
*** Sinological IPA : /ʂʐ̩³⁵ xɤʊ̯ɻʷ³/
** (Standard Chinese, standard in Taiwan)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: shíhòu
*** Zhuyin: ㄕˊ ㄏㄡˋ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: shíhhòu
*** Wade–Giles: shih$^2$-hou$^4$
*** Yale: shŕ-hòu
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shyrhow
*** Palladius: шихоу (šixou)
*** Sinological IPA : /ʂʐ̩³⁵ xoʊ̯⁵¹/
** (Chengdu)
*** Sichuanese Pinyin: si$^2$ hou$^4$
*** Scuanxua Ladinxua Xin Wenz: s xou
*** Sinological IPA : /sz̩²¹ xəu²¹³/
** (Xi'an)
*** Guanzhong Pinyin: síhou
*** Sinological IPA : /sz̩²⁴ xɤu/
** (Nanjing)
*** Nanjing Pinyin: shiíhou [Phonetic: shiǐhou]
*** Nanjing Pinyin (numbered): shii$^2$ hou$^0$ [Phonetic: shii$^3$ hou$^0$]
*** Sinological IPA : /ʂʐ̩²⁴⁻¹¹ xəɯ/
** (Dungan)
*** Cyrillic and Wiktionary: сыху (sɨhu, I-II)
*** Sinological IPA : /sz̩²⁴ xou⁵¹/
    (Note: Dungan pronunciation is currently experimental and may be inaccurate.)
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: si$^4$ hau$^6$
*** Yale: sìh hauh
*** Cantonese Pinyin: si$^4$ hau$^6$
*** Guangdong Romanization: xi$^4$ heo$^6$
*** Sinological IPA : /siː²¹ hɐu̯²²/
** (Yangjiang Yue, Jiangcheng)
*** Jyutping++: si$^4$ hau$^6$
*** Sinological IPA : /ʃi⁴² hɐu⁵⁵/
* Gan
** (Nanchang)
*** Wiktionary: si$^4$ heu$^5$
*** Sinological IPA : /sz̩³⁵ hɛu¹¹/
* Hakka
** (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
*** Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: sṳ̀-heu
*** Hakka Romanization System: sii$^ˇ$ heu
*** Hagfa Pinyim: si$^2$ heu$^4$
*** Sinological IPA: /sɨ¹¹ heu̯⁵⁵/
** (Meixian)
*** Guangdong: si$^2$ hêu$^4$
*** Sinological IPA: /sz̩¹¹ heu⁵³/
* Jin
** (Taiyuan)
*** Wiktionary: si$^1$ hou$^3$
*** Sinological IPA (old-style): /sz̩¹¹ xəu⁴⁵/
* Northern Min
** (Jian'ou)
*** Kienning Colloquial Romanized: sî-hē
*** Sinological IPA : /si³³ xe⁵⁵/
* Eastern Min
** (Fuzhou)
*** Bàng-uâ-cê: sì-hâiu
*** Sinological IPA : /si⁵³⁻²¹ $^{(h-)}$ɑu²⁴²/
* Southern Min
** (Hokkien: Xiamen, Zhangzhou, General Taiwanese)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: sî-hāu
*** Tâi-lô: sî-hāu
*** Phofsit Daibuun: si'hau
*** IPA (Xiamen): /si²⁴⁻²² hau²²/
*** IPA (Taipei): /si²⁴⁻¹¹ hau³³/
*** IPA (Zhangzhou): /si¹³⁻²² hau²²/
*** IPA (Kaohsiung): /si²³⁻³³ hau³³/
** (Hokkien: Quanzhou)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: sî-hiō
*** Tâi-lô: sî-hiō
*** Phofsit Daibuun: si'hioi
*** IPA (Quanzhou): /si²⁴⁻²² hio⁴¹/
** (Teochew)
*** Peng'im: si$^5$ hao$^7$
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: sî hāu
*** Sinological IPA : /si⁵⁵⁻¹¹ hau¹¹/
* Wu
** (Northern: Shanghai)
*** Wugniu: $^6$zy-gheu
*** MiniDict: zy$^去$ gheu
*** Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): $^3$zr-hheu
*** Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /zz̩²² ɦɤ⁴⁴/
* Xiang
** (Changsha)
*** Wiktionary: shr$^2$ hou
*** Sinological IPA (old-style): /ʂʐ̩¹³ xəu̯³/
*** Sinological IPA (new-style): /sz̩¹³ xəu̯³/
* Middle Chinese: dzyi huwH
Rime :
| Character | 時 | 候 |
| Reading # | 1/1 | 1/1 |
| Initial (聲) | 常 (25) | 匣 (33) |
| Final (韻) | 之 (19) | 侯 (137) |
| Tone (調) | Level (Ø) | Departing (H) |
| Openness (開合) | Open | Open |
| Division (等) | III | I |
| Fanqie | 市之切 | 胡遘切 |
| Baxter | dzyi | huwH |
| Reconstructions |||
| Zhengzhang Shangfang | /d͡ʑɨ/ | /ɦəu$^H$/ |
| Pan Wuyun | /d͡ʑɨ/ | /ɦəu$^H$/ |
| Shao Rongfen | /d͡ʑie/ | /ɣəu$^H$/ |
| Edwin Pulleyblank | /d͡ʑɨ/ | /ɦəw$^H$/ |
| Li Rong | /ʑiə/ | /ɣu$^H$/ |
| Wang Li | /ʑĭə/ | /ɣəu$^H$/ |
| Bernhard Karlgren | /ʑi/ | /ɣə̯u$^H$/ |
| Expected Mandarin Reflex | chí | hòu |
| Expected Cantonese Reflex | si$^4$ | hau$^6$ |
* Old Chinese
    (Baxter–Sagart): /*[d]ə [ɡ]ˤ(r)o-s/
    (Zhengzhang): /*djɯ ɡoːs/
Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014) :
| Character | 時 | 候 |
| Reading # | 1/1 | 1/1 |
| Modern Beijing (Pinyin) | shí | hòu |
| Middle Chinese | ‹ dzyi › | ‹ huw$^H$ › |
| Old Chinese | /*[d]ə/ (~ *[d]əʔ) | /*[ɡ]ˁ(r)o-s/ |
| English | time | wait upon |
| Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p; * Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary. |||
Zhengzhang system (2003) :
| Character | 時 | 候 |
| Reading # | 1/1 | 1/1 |
| No. | 12042 | 5154 |
| Phonetic component | 寺 | 侯 |
| Rime group | 之 | 侯 |
| Rime subdivision | 0 | 0 |
| Corresponding MC rime | 時 | 𠋫 |
| Old Chinese | /*djɯ/ | /*ɡoːs/ |

### Noun

時候
* period of time
    上課的時候／上课的时候 ― shàngkè de shíhou ― during class
    From: 朱自清 (Zhu Ziqing), 《蒙自雜記》
    Wǒ zài Méngzì zhù guò wǔ ge yuè, wǒ de jiā yě zài nàlǐ zhù guò liǎng ge yuè. Wǒ xiànzài chángcháng xiǎngqǐ zhè ge dìfang, tèbié shì zài rénshì fánmáng de shíhou. Méngzì xiǎo de hǎo, rén shǎo de hǎo. [Pinyin]
    I lived in Mengzi for five months, and my family two months. I often think of the place now, especially when my social life is busy. Mengzi is good because it's small and sparsely populated.
* a point in time
       Dào shíhou zài juédìng ba. [Pinyin]
       We'll decide later.
       Shíhou bùzǎo le, gǎnkuài shuìjiào ba! [Pinyin]
       It's getting late. Get to bed!
       Zhège shíhou gāi zěnme bàn ne? [Pinyin]
       What do I do at this moment?
       Nǐ zhīdào xiànzài shì shénme shíhou le ma? [Pinyin]
       Do you know what time is it now?
* (Classical) season and climate

#### Usage notes

Often placed at the end of a clause, and preceded by 的 (de), to indicate when something happens. For example:
* 當我想你的時候／当我想你的时候 ― dāng wǒ xiǎng nǐ de shíhou ― when I think of you
Note that 當／当 (dāng) is often omitted, and that 時／时 (shí) (not preceded by 的 (de)) can also be used the same way.

#### Synonyms

| Variety | Location | Words |
| Formal (Written Standard Chinese) | Formal (Written Standard Chinese) | 時候 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Beijing | 時候兒, 工夫兒 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Taiwan | 時候 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Malaysia | 時候 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Singapore | 時候 |
| Jilu Mandarin | Jinan | 時候 |
| Central Plains Mandarin | Luoyang | 時候兒 |
| Central Plains Mandarin | Wanrong | 時候 |
| Central Plains Mandarin | Xi'an | 時候, 時間 |
| Central Plains Mandarin | Xining | 時候 |
| Central Plains Mandarin | Xuzhou | 時候 |
| Central Plains Mandarin | Pizhou | 時候 |
| Central Plains Mandarin | Lianyungang (Ganyu) | 時候 |
| Central Plains Mandarin | Donghai | 時候 |
| Central Plains Mandarin | Sokuluk (Gansu Dungan) | 時候, 時候兒 |
| Lanyin Mandarin | Ürümqi | 時節 |
| Southwestern Mandarin | Chengdu | 時候 |
| Southwestern Mandarin | Wuhan | 時辰, 時候 |
| Jianghuai Mandarin | Nanjing | 時候 |
| Jianghuai Mandarin | Yangzhou | 時候 |
| Jianghuai Mandarin | Baoying | 時候 |
| Jianghuai Mandarin | Taizhou | 時辰, 時候 |
| Jianghuai Mandarin | Zhenjiang | 時候, 時辰 |
| Jianghuai Mandarin | Lianyungang | 時候 |
| Jianghuai Mandarin | Huai'an (Huaiyin) | 時候 |
| Jianghuai Mandarin | Xuyi | 功夫 |
| Jianghuai Mandarin | Nantong | 時辰, 辰光 |
| Jianghuai Mandarin | Rugao | 時辰, 時候 |
| Jianghuai Mandarin | Yancheng | 時候, 辰光 |
| Jianghuai Mandarin | Funing | 時辰 |
| Jianghuai Mandarin | Sihong | 時間 |
| Jianghuai Mandarin | Hefei | 時候 |
| Cantonese | Guangzhou | 時候 |
| Cantonese | Hong Kong | 時候 |
| Cantonese | Yangjiang | 時候 |
| Cantonese | Singapore (Guangfu) | 時候 |
| Gan | Nanchang | 時間, 時候, 場中 |
| Gan | Pingxiang | 時會 |
| Hakka | Meixian | 時候 |
| Hakka | Changting | 時節 |
| Hakka | Liancheng | 時節 |
| Hakka | Miaoli (N. Sixian) | 時節 |
| Hakka | Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian) | 時節 |
| Hakka | Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu) | 時節 |
| Hakka | Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu) | 時節 |
| Hakka | Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping) | 時節 |
| Hakka | Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an) | 時務 |
| Huizhou | Jixi | 時候 |
| Jin | Taiyuan | 時候 |
| Northern Min | Jian'ou | 時候 |
| Eastern Min | Fuzhou | 辰候, 時候 |
| Eastern Min | Fuzhou (Changle) | 辰候 |
| Eastern Min | Fuqing | 時辰 |
| Eastern Min | Yongtai | 辰候 |
| Eastern Min | Gutian | 辰候 |
| Eastern Min | Fu'an | 辰候 |
| Eastern Min | Ningde | 流桓 |
| Eastern Min | Shouning | 辰候 |
| Eastern Min | Zhouning | 辰候 |
| Eastern Min | Fuding | 辰候 |
| Southern Min | Xiamen | 時陣, 時節 |
| Southern Min | Xiamen (Tong'an) | 時陣 |
| Southern Min | Quanzhou | 時陣 |
| Southern Min | Jinjiang | 時節, 時陣 |
| Southern Min | Shishi | 時陣 |
| Southern Min | Anxi | 時陣 |
| Southern Min | Yongchun | 時節, 時陣 |
| Southern Min | Zhangzhou | 時陣 |
| Southern Min | Zhangzhou (Longhai) | 時陣 |
| Southern Min | Zhangzhou (Changtai) | 時陣 |
| Southern Min | Zhao'an | 時陣 |
| Southern Min | Taipei | 時陣 |
| Southern Min | New Taipei (Sanxia) | 時陣 |
| Southern Min | Kaohsiung | 時陣 |
| Southern Min | Yilan | 時陣, 當時 |
| Southern Min | Changhua (Lukang) | 時陣 |
| Southern Min | Taichung | 時陣 |
| Southern Min | Taichung (Wuqi) | 時陣 |
| Southern Min | Tainan | 時陣 |
| Southern Min | Taitung | 時陣 |
| Southern Min | Hsinchu | 時陣 |
| Southern Min | Kinmen | 時陣 |
| Southern Min | Penghu (Magong) | 時陣 |
| Southern Min | Singapore (Hokkien) | 時陣 |
| Southern Min | Manila (Hokkien) | 時陣, 時間, 時節 |
| Southern Min | Chaozhou | 時陣, 時候 |
| Southern Min | Shantou | 時候 |
| Southern Min | Shantou (Chaoyang) | 時候 |
| Southern Min | Jieyang | 時陣 |
| Southern Min | Singapore (Teochew) | 時候 |
| Southern Min | Wenchang | 時候 |
| Southern Min | Qionghai | 時候 |
| Southern Min | Singapore (Hainanese) | 時候 |
| Puxian Min | Putian | 時節, 時頭 |
| Puxian Min | Xianyou | 時節 |
| Wu | Shanghai | 辰光 |
| Wu | Shanghai (Chongming) | 辰光 |
| Wu | Suzhou | 辰光 |
| Wu | Wuxi | 辰光 |
| Wu | Changshu | 辰光 |
| Wu | Nantong (Haimen) | 辰光 |
| Wu | Changzhou | 辰光 |
| Wu | Danyang | 時候, 辰光 |
| Wu | Nanjing (Gaochun) | 辰光 |
| Wu | Hangzhou | 辰光 |
| Wu | Hangzhou (Yuhang) | 辰光 |
| Wu | Ningbo | 辰光, 時節 rare, 時候 dated |
| Wu | Wenzhou | 時節 |
| Wu | Jinhua | 時節 |
| Xiang | Changsha | 時候 |
| Xiang | Loudi | 時界, 時界唧, 時際 |
| Xiang | Shuangfeng | 時候, 時基, 時家 |
* (time): 年數／年数 (niánshù), 年代 (niándài), (archaic) 年紀／年纪 (niánjì), 時間／时间 (shíjiān)

#### Derived terms

* 什麼時候 / 什么时候
* 到時候 / 到时候
* 小時候 / 小时候
* 有時候 / 有时候
* 這時候 / 这时候
* 那時候 / 那时候 (nàshíhòu)
* 黃梅時候 / 黄梅时候

#### Descendants

* → Japanese: 時(じ)候(こう) (jikō)
* → Korean: 시후(時候) (sihu)

### References

* “時候”, in 教育部臺灣台語常用詞辭典 [Dictionary of Frequently-Used Taiwanese Taigi] (overall work in Mandarin and Hokkien), Ministry of Education, R.O.C., 2025.

## Japanese

Kanji in this term :
| 時 | 候 |
| じ Grade: 2 | こう Grade: 4 |
| on'yomi ||

### Etymology

Appears to be from Middle Chinese 時候 (MC dzyi huwH). The reading is a mix of older goon ji and relatively newer kan'on kō, suggesting a possible shift in reading after borrowing.

### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) じこー [jìkóó] (Heiban – [0])
* IPA: [d͡ʑiko̞ː]

### Noun

時(じ)候(こう) • (jikō)
* the weather or climate of each of the four seasons

### References

* ↑ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
   * Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN