How do you say "noon" in Chinese?

中午

zhōng wǔ

Noun Hanzi

In Chinese, "noon" is 中午 (zhōng wǔ).

Listen to the pronunciation:

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Pronunciation

Say it as "zhōng wǔ" — first tone, then third tone — held flat and steady, almost like humming one note; then the next syllable is dipping low then curling back up.

Writing and usage

中午 is written using hanzi. It's a noun, part of the vocabulary taught in the Noun Town language learning game.

Example sentence

我们中午约好了。

wǒ men zhōng wǔ yuē hǎo le 。

We met for lunch at noon.

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How to remember 中午

A quick anchor: a vivid snapshot of when we met for lunch at noon, then say "zhōng wǔ" out loud.

Related words

Browse all Chinese words in the glossary.

Questions about 中午

How do you pronounce 中午?

Say it as "zhōng wǔ" — first tone, then third tone — held flat and steady, almost like humming one note; then the next syllable is dipping low then curling back up.

Is 中午 formal or casual?

中午 is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech.

How is 中午 used in Chinese?

中午 is used the same way as the equivalent English noun. For example: 我们中午约好了。 (We met for lunch at noon.).

Where can I practice Chinese words for free?

You can play free Chinese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, no sign-up required. Every word in the Chinese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.

"Noon" in other languages

Curated by Callan Ratcliffe

This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the Chinese language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation. Want to play the full game? Get Noun Town on Steam.

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