Asking Opening Hours and Last Entry in Mandarin Chinese
Learn to ask when a place opens and closes in Mandarin, say 'What are the opening hours?', and understand the last-entry time so you can buy tickets with confidence.
By SofiaGetting around · Yapr Learn
When you visit a museum, temple, park or ticket office in a Chinese-speaking area, the first practical question is often about time: when does it open, when does it close, and when is the last entry? In Mandarin, the most useful pattern is 几点开门 (jǐ diǎn kāi mén, what time does it open) and 几点关门 (jǐ diǎn guān mén, what time does it close). To ask about the whole schedule, use 营业时间 (yíngyè shíjiān, business hours). For tickets, the key phrase is 最晚入场时间 (zuì wǎn rùchǎng shíjiān, last entry time). This lesson gives you five core phrases, a short ticket-office dialogue, and practice so you can ask, understand and confirm times before you buy.
By the end, you can…
- ask what time a site opens and closes using 几点开门 and 几点关门.
- ask 'What are the opening hours?' with 营业时间是什么.
- understand and ask about the last entry time before buying a ticket.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
营业时间是什么？
What are the opening hours?
yíngyè shíjiān shì shénme?
Use this at a ticket office, information desk or when reading a sign. 营业时间 means business or opening hours.
几点开门？
What time does it open?
jǐ diǎn kāi mén?
Literally 'what time open door'. Use it for shops, museums, parks and other places with doors or gates.
几点关门？
What time does it close?
jǐ diǎn guān mén?
The matching question to 几点开门. 关门 means to close the door or close for the day.
最晚入场时间是什么？
What is the last entry time?
zuì wǎn rùchǎng shíjiān shì shénme?
Use this when you want to enter a museum, exhibition or scenic area. 入场 means entry or admission.
今天开门吗？
Is it open today?
jīntiān kāi mén ma?
Add 吗 (ma) to make a yes-or-no question. Useful for holidays and Mondays, when some places close.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The pattern 几点 + verb asks 'what time does something happen'. With 开门 (kāi mén, open) and 关门 (guān mén, close), you get two essential questions: 几点开门？ (What time does it open?) and 几点关门？ (What time does it close?). To ask about the whole schedule, use 营业时间 (yíngyè shíjiān, business hours): 营业时间是什么？ (What are the opening hours?). For tickets, 最晚入场时间 (zuì wǎn rùchǎng shíjiān) means the last entry time. Answer with a time plus 点 (diǎn, o'clock): 早上九点开门 (zǎoshang jiǔ diǎn kāi mén, opens at 9 a.m.).
When to use it
Use 几点开门 and 几点关门 for everyday places such as shops, museums and parks. Use 营业时间 when you want the full schedule, especially on a sign or website. Use 最晚入场时间 when you already plan to buy a ticket and need to know the final entry. If you are unsure about a holiday, ask 今天开门吗？ (Is it open today?). A staff member may answer 上午九点到下午五点 (shàngwǔ jiǔ diǎn dào xiàwǔ wǔ diǎn, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.). Listen for 到 (dào, until) between the two times.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
你好，请问营业时间是什么？
Hello, may I ask what the opening hours are?nǐ hǎo, qǐng wèn yíngyè shíjiān shì shénme?上午九点开门，下午五点关门。
It opens at 9 a.m. and closes at 5 p.m.shàngwǔ jiǔ diǎn kāi mén, xiàwǔ wǔ diǎn guān mén.最晚入场时间是什么？
What is the last entry time?zuì wǎn rùchǎng shíjiān shì shénme?最晚入场时间是下午四点半。
The last entry time is 4:30 p.m.zuì wǎn rùchǎng shíjiān shì xiàwǔ sì diǎn bàn.A little context goes a long way
In mainland China, 上午 (shàngwǔ) means morning and 下午 (xiàwǔ) means afternoon; many places also use 24-hour time on tickets, such as 17:00. Museums often stop selling tickets before closing, so 最晚入场时间 can be earlier than 关门时间. When speaking to staff, adding 请问 (qǐng wèn, may I ask) makes the question more polite.
One thing to watch for
Using 什么时候开门 (shénme shíhou kāi mén) when you want a clock time, or answering 九点 with no 上午 or 下午.
Try this instead: Use 几点开门？ for a specific clock time, and include 上午 or 下午 in the answer: 上午九点开门 (opens at 9 a.m.). 什么时候开门 is not wrong, but it is broader and can mean 'when does it open?' in general.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you ask 'What time does it close?' in Mandarin?
Show a sample answer
几点关门？
几点 asks 'what time', and 关门 means 'close the door' or 'close for the day'. 几点关门？ is the standard question for closing time.
2A sign says 营业时间：上午九点到下午五点. What are the opening hours?
Show a sample answer
It opens at 9 a.m. and closes at 5 p.m.
上午九点 is 9 a.m., 到 means 'until', and 下午五点 is 5 p.m. The phrase 营业时间 introduces the schedule.
3You want to visit a museum in the late afternoon. Which phrase should you ask about?
Show a sample answer
最晚入场时间是什么？
最晚入场时间 means 'last entry time'. It tells you the final time you may enter, which may be earlier than the closing time.
Ask 几点开门 and 几点关门 for daily times, 营业时间是什么 for the full schedule, and 最晚入场时间是什么 before buying a ticket.
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