时候 (shíhou)

时候 means "time" or "moment" and is most often used in the pattern "...的时候" meaning "when..." or "at the time of..." It does not refer to clock time (that is 时间 shíjiān or 点 diǎn).

Meanings

[noun] A point or period in time, a moment.
[noun] Used in 的时候 to mean "when" (at the time that).

Example Sentences

你什么时候来？ Nǐ shénme shíhou lái? When are you coming?

我吃饭的时候不喜欢说话。 Wǒ chīfàn de shíhou bù xǐhuān shuōhuà. When I eat, I do not like to talk.

他小的时候很可爱。 Tā xiǎo de shíhou hěn kě'ài. He was very cute when he was little.

那个时候我在北京。 Nà ge shíhou wǒ zài Běijīng. At that time I was in Beijing.

Collocations

Collocation	Meaning
什么时候	when (question)
的时候	when, at the time of
那个时候	at that time
这个时候	at this time
小时候	when (one was) young, childhood
有时候	sometimes

Memory Hook

时 means "time" and 候 means "wait/season." Together they describe a moment you are waiting to arrive.