NetChai Chinese

How to Say “This year” in Chinese

今年
jīnnián
This year
Two colleagues discuss their professional goals for the current year, illustrating “this year” in Chinese: 今年 (jīnnián)

今年 (jīnnián) is the standard way to say "this year" in Mandarin Chinese. It refers to the current calendar year and is used to discuss events, plans, or conditions within it.

What does 今年 (jīnnián) mean?

今年 (jīnnián) means “this year” in English.

When to use it

Neutral and appropriate for all situations. Related terms include 去年 (qùnián) for "last year" and 明年 (míngnián) for "next year."

How to pronounce it

Sounds like "JEEN-nyen." The first syllable has a high-level tone, and the second has a rising tone.

Other ways to say it

  • 明年míngniánnext year
  • 去年qùniánlast year
  • 每年měiniánevery year

Examples

今年我有很多计划。
jīnnián wǒ yǒu hěn duō jìhuà.
I have many plans this year.
你今年几岁了？
nǐ jīnnián jǐ suì le?
How old are you this year?
我们今年夏天要去海边。
wǒmen jīnnián xiàtiān yào qù hǎibiān.
We are going to the beach this summer.
Pro tip: 今年 is a flexible time word that can be placed before the subject or after it, such as "今年我..." or "我今年...". It is not usually placed at the very end of a sentence.

Related phrases

十二月 · December年 · Year明年 · Next year

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