一 yī — one; 1; single; a(n)
桌子上有一本书。Zhuō zi shàng yǒu yì běn shū.There is a book on the table.
Common words: 一起 (yī qǐ)、一些 (yī xiē)、一样 (yī yàng)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "single"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "single", including 一 (yī), 只 (zhǐ), 单 (dān / chán / shàn), 独 (dú). Study pinyin, English meanings…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "single" covers 4 different Chinese characters — 一 (yī), 只 (zhǐ), 单 (dān / chán / shàn), 独 (dú) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 4 characters do not share a sound — their readings span yī, zhǐ, dān, chán, shàn, dú — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 一 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 一 yīone; 1; single; a(n)Useful words: 一起, 一些
- 只 zhǐearth-spirit; peace; (a measure word; for birds and some animals; etc.); singleUseful words: 只要, 只能
- 单 dān / chán / shànchieftain; bill; list; form; single; onlyUseful words: 名单, 单位
- 独 dúalone; independent; single; sole; onlyUseful words: 独立, 单独
Common words for these 4 "single" characters
Anchor each of these 4 characters in a word you can picture — start with 一 (yī) — so "single" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
一起yī qǐ(in) the same place; together; in company (with); altogether一些yī xiēsome; a few; a little; (following an adjective) slightly ...er一样yī yàngsame; like; equal to; the same as只要zhǐ yàoso long as; provided; if只能zhǐ néngcan only; obliged to do sth; to have no other choice只是zhǐ shìmerely; only; just; nothing but名单míng dānlist of names单位dān wèiunit (of measure); unit (group of people as a whole); work unit (place of employment, esp. in the PRC prior to economic reform)菜单cài dānmenu独立dú lìindependent; independence; to stand alone
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 4 ways to say "single".
只 zhǐ — earth-spirit; peace; (a measure word; for birds and some animals; etc.); single
我只想安静地休息一下。Wǒ zhǐ xiǎng ān jìng de xiū xi yí xià.I just want to rest quietly for a while.
Common words: 只要 (zhǐ yào)、只能 (zhǐ néng)、只是 (zhǐ shì)
单 dān / chán / shàn — chieftain; bill; list; form; single; only
请把名单交给老师。Qǐng bǎ míng dān jiāo gěi lǎo shī.Please hand the name list to the teacher.
Common words: 名单 (míng dān)、单位 (dān wèi)、菜单 (cài dān)
独 dú — alone; independent; single; sole; only
他喜欢一个人独自看书。Tā xǐ huan yí ge rén dú zì kàn shū.He likes reading alone by himself.
Common words: 独立 (dú lì)、单独 (dān dú)、独特 (dú tè)
All 4 characters
Open 一、只、单 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.