How to Say “In a decade” in Chinese
Time and dates · HSK 3
"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?