Children's Day in Chinese 儿童节
értóng jié
Happy Children's Day in Chinese is 儿童节快乐 (ér tóng jié kuài lè).
Also searched for as: June 1st, International Children's Day, Kids' Day, Happy Children's Day in Chinese, Liuyi.
June 1st, for kids and big kids alike. 15 words and phrases for Children's Day in Mandarin Chinese, with pinyin and English. Open it in the app to hear each word, tick off the ones you know and turn them into flashcards.
Children's Day in Chinese is 儿童节 (ér tóng jié), usually just called 六一 (liù yī) after its date, 1 June. In mainland China it's a big occasion for nurseries and primary schools, with shows and fun fairs, and it has also become a playful excuse for grown-ups: friends wish each other 儿童节快乐 (ér tóng jié kuài lè) and call themselves 大朋友 (dà péng you), "big kids".
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 儿童节 | ér tóng jié | Children's Day |
| 六一 | liù yī | June 1st (Children's Day) |
| 儿童节快乐 | ér tóng jié kuài lè | Happy Children's Day |
| 小朋友 | xiǎo péng you | kids; little ones |
| 幼儿园 | yòu ér yuán | nursery; kindergarten |
| 文艺表演 | wén yì biǎo yǎn | show; performance (at school) |
| 游园会 | yóu yuán huì | fun fair (at school) |
| 放假 | fàng jià | to have a day off |
| 游乐园 | yóu lè yuán | amusement park |
| 玩具 | wán jù | toy |
| 零食 | líng shí | snacks |
| 大朋友 | dà péng you | "big kid" (adult who's young at heart) |
| 过儿童节 | guò ér tóng jié | to celebrate Children's Day |
| 童心 | tóng xīn | a childlike heart |
| 童年 | tóng nián | childhood |
Usage tips
- 六一 (liù yī) is how most people refer to the day in speech, as in 六一活动 (liù yī huó dòng), a Children's Day event; naming a day by its month and date numbers like this is common for holidays.
- 小朋友 (xiǎo péng you) is the warm, everyday word adults use for children, and teachers address a class as 小朋友们; 大朋友 (dà péng you) is the jokey counterpart for grown-ups who are young at heart.
- Dates differ across the Chinese-speaking world: Taiwan marks 儿童节 on 4 April and Singapore in October, so check which day your friends mean.
Common mistakes
- Translating "children" as 孩子 and saying 孩子节 → the festival name uses 儿童 (ér tóng): 儿童节 (ér tóng jié).
- Using 幼儿园 (yòu ér yuán) for any school → it's only for pre-school children; primary school is 小学 (xiǎo xué).
Mini dialogue
- A明天六一，你给孩子买礼物了吗？Míng tiān liù yī, nǐ gěi hái zi mǎi lǐ wù le ma?It's 1 June tomorrow. Have you got your little one a present?
- B买了一个新玩具。幼儿园上午还有文艺表演。Mǎi le yī gè xīn wán jù. Yòu ér yuán shàng wǔ hái yǒu wén yì biǎo yǎn.I got a new toy. The nursery's putting on a show in the morning too.
- A真好。我们公司也给大家发零食，说是过儿童节。Zhēn hǎo. Wǒ men gōng sī yě gěi dà jiā fā líng shí, shuō shì guò ér tóng jié.Nice. Our company's handing out snacks too, to "celebrate Children's Day".
- B哈哈，大朋友也要过节嘛！Hā ha, dà péng you yě yào guò jié ma!Ha, big kids deserve a holiday too!
Example sentences
- 六月一号是儿童节。June 1st is Children's Day.
- 六一你给孩子买什么礼物？What are you getting your child for June 1st?
- 宝贝，儿童节快乐！Happy Children's Day, sweetheart!
- 今天小朋友们都特别开心。The kids are all really happy today.
- 幼儿园今天有六一活动。The nursery has a Children's Day event today.
- 孩子在学校的文艺表演上跳舞。My child danced in the school show.
- 学校下午有游园会。The school's having a fun fair this afternoon.
- 儿童节有的学校会放假。Some schools have the day off on Children's Day.
- 儿童节带孩子去游乐园吧。Let's take the kids to the amusement park on Children's Day.
- 他想要一个新玩具。He wants a new toy.
- 儿童节公司给大家发零食。The company handed out snacks to everyone for Children's Day.
- 祝所有大朋友也节日快乐！Happy Children's Day to all the big kids too!
- 你都三十了还过儿童节？You're thirty and still celebrating Children's Day?
- 保持一颗童心很重要。It's important to stay young at heart.
- 看到这些零食，我想起了我的童年。Seeing these snacks reminds me of my childhood.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Children's Day speaking island has 8 everyday questions about Children's Day to prepare your own answers to.