How to Say “In a decade” in Chinese
Time and dates
"In a decade" in Chinese is 十年后 (shí nián hòu). 十年后 literally means 'after ten years' and is the standard way to project a decade into the future. Chinese doesn't have a single word like 'decade'; instead 十年 (ten years) does the job, and speakers add 后 for future or 前 for past.
Primary translation
十年后
shí nián hòu
Traditional: 十年後
When to use it
十年后 literally means 'after ten years' and is the standard way to project a decade into the future. Chinese doesn't have a single word like 'decade'; instead 十年 (ten years) does the job, and speakers add 后 for future or 前 for past. A common native pattern is 再过十年 (zài guò shí nián, 'after another ten years pass'), which sounds more conversational than 十年后 alone. In formal writing, 十年之后 adds a literary touch. Note that 年 doesn't take a measure word; you say 十年, never 十个年.
Example sentences
十年后我们再见面吧。
Shí nián hòu wǒmen zài jiànmiàn ba.
Let's meet again in a decade.
再过十年，这座城市会完全不一样。
Zài guò shí nián, zhè zuò chéngshì huì wánquán bù yīyàng.
In a decade, this city will be completely different.
十年后你想做什么工作？
Shí nián hòu nǐ xiǎng zuò shénme gōngzuò?
What job do you want to do in a decade?
Related phrases
Learn the words behind the phrase
Want to say 十年后 without looking it up? Build the vocabulary first.
HSK Lord starts you on the 300 words the new HSK 1 exam tests and schedules each review right before you would forget it. Free to start.