Meaning
(prefix before a number; for ordering numbers; e.g. "first"; "number two"; etc)
Chinese: 表示次序。
Hear the Four Tones
The same syllable “di” becomes a different word in each tone. 第 is the 4th tone. Tap any tone to hear a native voice and see its pitch shape.
Stroke Order
Tap Animate to watch the strokes in order, or Practice to trace it yourself.
Common Words
- 第二dì èrsecond; number two; next; secondary
- 第一dì yīfirst; most important; primary; foremost
- 第一手dì yī shǒufirst-hand
- 第一线dì yī xiànfront line; forefront
- 不第bù dìto fail the civil service examination (in imperial China)
More Words
Example Sentence
他在比赛中得了第一名。Tā zài bǐ sài zhōng dé le dì yī míng.He won first place in the competition.
他Tāhe在zàiat比赛bǐ sàicompetition (sports etc)中zhōngmiddle得了dé leall right!第一dì yīfirst名míngname。
Go deeper
Where this character comes from
The bamboo radical 竹 over 弟 (younger brother, used for sequence/sound): the prefix that makes ordinal numbers — 第一 (first), 第三 (third); also ‘order, grade; a mansion’.
A way to remember it
Put 第 before a number to make ‘1st, 2nd, 3rd…’.
Easy to confuse with
- 弟‘Younger brother’: 第 without the bamboo top.