Days of the Week Song in Mandarin Chinese

Ms. Christina sings her original “Days of the Week Song in Mandarin Chinese.” Special thanks to Min Xiong—journalist, teacher, and cultural ambassador—for being a native-speaker consultant on this song!

Lyrics:

星期一 xīngqí yī (Monday)
星期二 xīngqí’èr (Tuesday)
星期三 xīngqísān (Wednesday)

星期四 xīngqísì (Thursday)
星期五 xīngqíwǔ (Friday)
星期六 xīngqíliù (Saturday)

最后一天 zuìhòu yītiān (The very last day …)
就是星期天 jiùshì xīngqítiān (Well, it’s Sunday!)

再跟我唱一遍！
Zài gēn wǒ chàng yībiàn! (Sing it again with me!)

Repeat

Second verse ending:
但是星期几就是今天？
Dànshì xīngqí jǐ jiùshì jīntiān? (But, what day is it today?)

Skills and benefits:

Music as mnemonic device, learn days of the week in Mandarin Chinese, positive association with learning Mandarin Chinese.

Origins:

Lyrics and tune by Ms. Christina.

Copyright: Ms. Christina — permission given for educational use.

Note:

There are different ways to say the days of the week in Chinese. For this song, Ms. Christina chose the way she learned in Beijing, because of the musical quality of the words — the sounds “sh” and “ch” work like a maraca keeping the beat. In Taipei, Ms. Christina learned to say Lǐbài yī, 礼拜一 (Monday), Lǐbài èr, 礼拜二 (Tuesday), Lǐbài sān, 礼拜三 (Wednesday), etc. And there are even more ways!

China is a big country with a long history. Learning about the cultural and linguistic differences within China is fascinating.

Ms. Christina studied Mandarin for nine years, many of those in China. Learning Mandarin broadened her horizons and changed her view of the world, so she encourages everyone to give it a try! Ms. Christina dedicates this song to all of her teachers, students, colleagues, classmates, roommates, friends, and everyone else who helped her on her China journey. May this song encourage you to start learning Mandarin and begin your own China journey!