While in chinese

The Mandarin Chinese phrase for "when" is 甚麼時候, or 什么时候 in simplified form. This is an important Chinese phrase to know in order to schedule meetings for business or leisure.

Characters 

The traditional way to write "when" in Chinese is 甚麼時候. You will see this in Hong Kong or Taiwan. The phrase can also be written as 什么时候. This is the simplified version, which can be found in Mainland China.

If in chinese

The first two characters 甚麼 / 什么 (shénme) mean "what.” The last two characters 時候 (shí hou) mean “time,” or “length of time.”

Put together, 甚麼 时候 / 什么时候 literally means "what time." However, "when" is a more correct translation of the phrase.

If you want to ask "what time is it?" you would usually say: 现在几点了(xiàn zài jǐ diǎn le)?

Pronunciation

The phrase is made up of 4 characters: 甚麼時候 / 什么时候. 甚 / 什 is pronounced "shén," which is in the 2nd tone.

Time in mandarin

The pinyin for 麼 / 么 is "me," which is unaccented and thus has no tone. The pinyin for 時 / 时 is "shí," which is in the 2nd tone. F

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