号 (hào) — number; day of the month

号 (hào)

Used in everyday speech for the day of the month (where formal writing uses 日) and for any kind of sequential number or code such as room numbers, phone numbers, and bus routes; in spoken Chinese, 号 is far more common than 日 for dates.

Meanings

1. [noun] Day of the month (spoken: 五月三十号 = May 30th).
2. [noun] Number, code, serial number (房间号 = room number; 手机号 = phone number).
3. [noun] Size (of clothing or shoes: 大号 = large size).

Example Sentences

今天几号？ Jīntiān jǐ hào? What day of the month is today?

我的手机号是多少？ Wǒ de shǒujī hào shì duōshao? What is my phone number?

你穿几号的鞋？ Nǐ chuān jǐ hào de xié? What shoe size do you wear?

他住在三零八号房间。 Tā zhù zài sān líng bā hào fángjiān. He lives in room 308.

Collocations

Memory Hook

号 contains the mouth radical 口 at the bottom — when you call out "number three!" or announce a room number, you are literally voicing a 号 with your mouth.