下 xià — under; second (of two parts); next (week; etc.); lower; below
请把书放在桌子下面。Qǐng bǎ shū fàng zài zhuō zi xià mian.Please put the book under the table.
Common words: 下午 (xià wǔ)、下次 (xià cì)、下班 (xià bān)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "second"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "second", including 下 (xià), 次 (cì), 再 (zài), 亚 (yà), 秒 (miǎo). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "second" covers 5 different Chinese characters — 下 (xià), 次 (cì), 再 (zài), 亚 (yà), 秒 (miǎo) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 5 characters do not share a sound — their readings span xià, cì, zài, yà, miǎo — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 下 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 下 xiàunder; second (of two parts); next (week; etc.); lower; belowUseful words: 下午, 下次
- 次 cìnth; number (of times); order; sequence; next; second(ary)Useful words: 下次, 上次
- 再 zàiagain; once more; re-; second; anotherUseful words: 再见, 再次
- 亚 yàAsia; Asian; second; next to; inferiorUseful words: 亚军, 不亚于
- 秒 miǎo(a measure word); secondUseful words: 争分夺秒, 秒看
Common words for these 5 "second" characters
Anchor each of these 5 characters in a word you can picture — start with 下 (xià) — so "second" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
下午xià wǔafternoon; p.m.下次xià cìnext time下班xià bānto finish work; to get off work; next service (train, bus etc)下次xià cìnext time上次shàng cìlast time其次qí cìnext; secondly再见zài jiàngoodbye; see you again later再次zài cìonce more; once again再说zài shuōto say again; to put off a discussion until later; moreover; what's more亚军yà jūnsecond place (in a sports contest); runner-up
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 5 ways to say "second".
次 cì — nth; number (of times); order; sequence; next; second(ary)
这是我第一次来中国。Zhè shì wǒ dì yī cì lái Zhōng guó.This is my first time coming to China.
Common words: 下次 (xià cì)、上次 (shàng cì)、其次 (qí cì)
再 zài — again; once more; re-; second; another
时间不早了，我们再见吧。Shí jiān bù zǎo le, wǒ men zài jiàn ba.It is getting late; let us say goodbye.
Common words: 再见 (zài jiàn)、再次 (zài cì)、再说 (zài shuō)
亚 yà — Asia; Asian; second; next to; inferior
中国是亚洲最大的国家之一。Zhōng guó shì Yà zhōu zuì dà de guó jiā zhī yī.China is one of the largest countries in Asia.
Common words: 亚军 (yà jūn)、不亚于 (bù yà yú)、不亚 (bù yà)
秒 miǎo — (a measure word); second
一分钟有六十秒。Yì fēn zhōng yǒu liù shí miǎo.There are sixty seconds in a minute.
Common words: 争分夺秒 (zhēng fēn duó miǎo)、秒看 (miǎo kàn)、秒回 (miǎo huí)
All 5 characters
Open 下、次、再 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.