xiǎoshí

hour

The Chinese word '小时' is used in much the same way as the English word 'hour'. It can signify a specific point in time or a duration. For example, it can be used to tell the time, like '3 小时 (three hours)' or it can be used to express the duration of an activity, like '我学习了一个小时 (I studied for an hour)'.