How to Say “This afternoon” in Chinese
Time and dates · HSK 2
"This afternoon" in Chinese is 今天下午 (jīn tiān xià wǔ). 今天下午 literally means 'today afternoon'; Chinese stacks time words from largest to smallest, so the day comes before the part of day. 下午 covers roughly 1pm to 6pm; before 1pm you're still in 中午 (midday/lunchtime).
Primary translation
今天下午
jīn tiān xià wǔ
When to use it
今天下午 literally means 'today afternoon'; Chinese stacks time words from largest to smallest, so the day comes before the part of day. 下午 covers roughly 1pm to 6pm; before 1pm you're still in 中午 (midday/lunchtime). No preposition needed; just drop it in front of a verb: 今天下午见 (see you this afternoon). Mainlanders often pair it with a specific hour using 点, as in 下午三点.
Example sentences
今天下午你有空吗？
Jīn tiān xià wǔ nǐ yǒu kòng ma?
Are you free this afternoon?
我今天下午要开会。
Wǒ jīn tiān xià wǔ yào kāi huì.
I have a meeting this afternoon.
今天下午三点在咖啡店见。
Jīn tiān xià wǔ sān diǎn zài kā fēi diàn jiàn.
Let's meet at the coffee shop at 3pm this afternoon.