HSK 4 · Function Words
及时 jíshí “timely” in Chinese
Traditional 及時
What 及时 means
- timely
- at the right time
- promptly
- without delay
How to say 及时
及jí2nd tone, rising
时shí2nd tone, rising
及时 in a sentence
How 及时 is built
Each colour is one part of the character. Parts repeat across thousands of characters, so learning them makes new words easier. See all 214 in our radicals chart.

及jíand
及 is a single shape of 3 strokes. Learn it whole, then watch its stroke order below.

时shío’clock
- 日sun · rìMeaning part
- 寸inch · cùn
Memory aidThe sun 日 marks the time of day. In the full form 時, 寺 (sì) gave the sound.
How to write 及时
及 3 strokes · 时 7 strokes
Watch the order, then press Try writing it and draw each stroke in the grid. Each stroke is checked as you go.

Words related to 及时
Words with 及
来不及láibují · not enough time (to do something)来得及láidejí · to have enough time及格jígé · to pass an exam or a test以及yǐjí · and及早jízǎo · as early as possible普及pǔjí · to popularise涉及shèjí · to involve迫不及待pòbùjídài · too impatient to wait力所能及lìsuǒnéngjí · within one’s ability
Words with 时
时候shíhou · time时shí · o’clock小时xiǎoshí · hour时间shíjiān · time有时yǒushí · sometimes小时候xiǎoshíhou · in one’s childhood当时dāngshí · then平时píngshí · ordinarily同时tóngshí · at the same time暂时zànshí · temporary
More words: Particles & Connectors
FAQs
及时 (jíshí) means “timely” or “at the right time”. It is an HSK 4 word.
Say it jíshí: jí with a 2nd tone, then shí with a 2nd tone. Press Listen at the top of this page to hear it, or Slowly to hear each tone clearly.
In Traditional characters, used in Taiwan and Hong Kong, 及时 is written 及時. The pronunciation is the same.
Add a Chinese (Simplified) pinyin keyboard to your phone or computer, type jishi with no tone marks or spaces, then choose 及时 from the suggestions. Typing jishi into this dictionary’s search box finds it too.
及时 is an HSK 4 word in the HSK 2.0 word lists.
Sources: meaning and pinyin checked by a native Mandarin teacher against the official HSK lists. Extra meanings from CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0). Example sentences from Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR). Character parts and stroke order from Make Me a Hanzi.