<p>日子, however, has an additional meaning which 日期 doesn't have.</p>

<p>And that is, it could also mean "life", "living conditions", "livelihood" </p>

<p>Like:-</p>

<p>找了份新工作，日子好过多了 -- (Having found a new job, my life is much better)</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-04-15T12:46:50.920Z
2020-04-15T12:46:50.920Z
Wayne Cheah
<p><a href="http://youdao.com/w/eng/%E6%97%A5%E6%9C%9F" rel="nofollow noreferrer">日期</a> = "date", whereas <a href="http://youdao.com/w/%E6%97%A5%E5%AD%90" rel="nofollow noreferrer">日子</a> = "day".  Although in Chinese (as in English) they are sometimes interchangeable.</p>

<p>Ordinarily you'd expect a 日期 to have a numerical form:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>今天是什么<strong>日期</strong>？  今天是2020年4月15号。<br>
  What is the <strong>date</strong> today?  Today is the 15-th April, 2020.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>However, a 日子 isn't necessarily numerical:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>今天是什么<strong>日子</strong>？  今天是我的生日。<br>
  What <strong>day</strong> is it today?  Today is my birthday.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>We typically think of changing the 日期 ("date") rather than the 日子 ("day").</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>你好，真不好意思，<strong>我要改一下日期</strong>，可以吗?<br>
  Hello, I'm very sorry, <strong>I have to change my dates</strong>. Is that all right?<br>
  <sub><a href="https://chinesepod.com/dictionary/english-chinese/%E6%94%B9%E4%B8%80%E4%B8%8B%E6%97%A5%E6%9C%9F" rel="nofollow noreferrer">ChinesePod</a></sub>  </p>
</blockquote>

<p>We also typically think of having a good 日子 ("day"), rather than a good 日期 ("date").</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>今天是个<strong>好日子</strong>。<br>
  Today is a <strong>good day</strong>.</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-04-15T09:14:12.023Z
Thanks Becky - that has really cleared it up! :-)
Hashamyim
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-04-16T15:54:12.457Z
I had never heard 今天是什么日期？ I would say 今天几号？
tsh
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-04-15T09:01:42.540Z
2020-04-15T09:01:42.540Z
Becky 李蓓
<p>So, these two words both mean 'day', but 日期 seems to give much fewer answers than 日子。One dictionary says that both mean 'day' (e.g. Tuesday). Another dictionary says that they both mean 'date' (e.g. 9th April). </p>

<p>Is there an obvious difference between the two, or are they interchangeable?</p>

<p>Thanks all!</p>

<vocabulary>
日子 vs 日期 - what is the difference between the two?
# 日子 vs 日期 - what is the difference between the two?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2020-04-15)

So, these two words both mean 'day', but 日期 seems to give much fewer answers than 日子。One dictionary says that both mean 'day' (e.g. Tuesday). Another dictionary says that they both mean 'date' (e.g. 9th April).

Is there an obvious difference between the two, or are they interchangeable?

Thanks all!

**Tags:** vocabulary


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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2020-04-15. Score: 4 | Accepted answer

[日期](http://youdao.com/w/eng/%E6%97%A5%E6%9C%9F) = "date", whereas [日子](http://youdao.com/w/%E6%97%A5%E5%AD%90) = "day". Although in Chinese (as in English) they are sometimes interchangeable.

Ordinarily you'd expect a 日期 to have a numerical form:

> 今天是什么**日期**？ 今天是2020年4月15号。  
> What is the **date** today? Today is the 15-th April, 2020.

However, a 日子 isn't necessarily numerical:

> 今天是什么**日子**？ 今天是我的生日。  
> What **day** is it today? Today is my birthday.

We typically think of changing the 日期 ("date") rather than the 日子 ("day").

> 你好，真不好意思，**我要改一下日期**，可以吗?  
> Hello, I'm very sorry, **I have to change my dates**. Is that all right?  
> [ChinesePod](https://chinesepod.com/dictionary/english-chinese/%E6%94%B9%E4%B8%80%E4%B8%8B%E6%97%A5%E6%9C%9F)

We also typically think of having a good 日子 ("day"), rather than a good 日期 ("date").

> 今天是个**好日子**。  
> Today is a **good day**.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Thanks username_2 - that has really cleared it up! :-)  
> **username_3**: I had never heard 今天是什么日期？ I would say 今天几号？  

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### Answer by username_1 on 2020-04-15. Score: 1

日子, however, has an additional meaning which 日期 doesn't have.

And that is, it could also mean "life", "living conditions", "livelihood"

Like:-

找了份新工作，日子好过多了 -- (Having found a new job, my life is much better)


---

