How do I write a number range in Chinese?

There are three ways to express a range or numbers or dates in Chinese:

  • 到dào (dào), which means “to” or “until”, is commonly used for number ranges, for example 一yī到dào二èr天tiān (yī dào èrtiān) means “one to two days”, or “a day or two”. You can use 到dào when other ranges such as months, for example “January to March” 一Yī月yuè到dào三Sān月yuè (yī yuè dào sān yuè)
  • A hyphen (a dash) [-] can be used in the same way that we do in English, for example 44--55天tiān (sì – wǔ tiān) means four to five days. In Chinese a hyphen is called 连lián字zì号hào (lián zìhao), however when saying a range you would say 到dào (dào), so 44--55天tiān would be said as (sì dào wǔ tiān).
  • A tilde “wavy line” character [~] may also be used to represent a range, so 44--55天tiān (sì ~ wǔ tiān) is also acceptable and in fact common when the range is an estimate. The Chinese word for a wilde “wavy line” is 波bō浪làng号hào (bōlàng hào) and again, when verbally talking about a range you would say 到dào e.g. 44~~55天tiān would be said as (sì dào wǔ tiān).