又 yòu — (once) again; also; both... and...; again
他又迟到了。Tā yòu chí dào le.He is late again.
Common words: 又来了 (yòu lái le)、重又 (chóng yòu)、又一次 (yòu yī cì)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "once"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "once", including 又 (yòu), 曾 (céng / zēng), 尝 (cháng). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "once" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 又 (yòu), 曾 (céng / zēng), 尝 (cháng) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span yòu, céng, zēng, cháng — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 又 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 又 yòu(once) again; also; both... and...; againUseful words: 又来了, 重又
- 曾 céng / zēng(refers to something that happened previously); already; at some time in the past; before; once; (surname)Useful words: 曾经, 不曾
- 尝 chángindicator of past tense; to taste; flavor; already; ever; onceUseful words: 尝试, 品尝
Common words for these 3 "once" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 又 (yòu) — so "once" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
又来了yòu lái leHere we go again.重又chóng yòuonce again又一次yòu yī cìyet again; once again; once more曾经céng jīngonce; already; former; previously不曾bù cénghasn't yet; hasn't ever似曾相识sì céng xiāng shídéjà vu (the experience of seeing exactly the same situation a second time); seemingly familiar; apparently already acquainted尝试cháng shìto try (to see what it's like or whether one can do it)品尝pǐn chángto have a taste of; to sample何尝hé cháng(rhetorical question) when?; how?; it's not that...
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 3 ways to say "once".
曾 céng / zēng — (refers to something that happened previously); already; at some time in the past; before; once; (surname)
我曾经去过那座城市。Wǒ céng jīng qù guò nà zuò chéng shì.I have been to that city before.
Common words: 曾经 (céng jīng)、不曾 (bù céng)、似曾相识 (sì céng xiāng shí)
尝 cháng — indicator of past tense; to taste; flavor; already; ever; once
你尝一尝这道菜，味道怎么样？Nǐ cháng yi cháng zhè dào cài, wèi dào zěn me yàng?Taste this dish; how does it taste?
Common words: 尝试 (cháng shì)、品尝 (pǐn cháng)、何尝 (hé cháng)
All 3 characters
Open 又、曾、尝 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.