三 sān — three; 3
我每天喝三杯水。Wǒ měi tiān hē sān bēi shuǐ.I drink three glasses of water every day.
Common words: 再三 (zài sān)、三角 (sān jiǎo)、三明治 (sān míng zhì)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "three"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "three", including 三 (sān), 倍 (bèi). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words, and examples.
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "three" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 三 (sān), 倍 (bèi) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span sān, bèi — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 三 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 三 sānthree; 3Useful words: 再三, 三角
- 倍 bèi(two; three; etc) -fold; times (multiplier); double; to increase or multiplyUseful words: 成倍, 十倍
Common words for these 2 "three" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 三 (sān) — so "three" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
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 2 ways to say "three".
倍 bèi — (two; three; etc) -fold; times (multiplier); double; to increase or multiply
这本书的价钱是那本的两倍。Zhè běn shū de jià qián shì nà běn de liǎng bèi.The price of this book is twice that of that one.
Common words: 成倍 (chéng bèi)、十倍 (shí bèi)、三倍 (sān bèi)
All 2 characters
Open 三、倍 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.