How to write 次 (cì, “next in sequence”)
次 (cì), an HSK 2 character, means “next in sequence”, “second” and “the second”. It is HSK 2 in the 2025 syllabus, up from level 1 in the 2021 standard. It is also a measure word: CC-CEDICT pairs it with 46 nouns, 事故, 动员 and 劳动 among them. As a left-right character it splits into 冫 (“ice”), strokes 1–2; 欠 (“to owe”, the radical), strokes 3–6, written the left part first. On its own it is an HSK 2 word; it also forms 再次 (“once more”), 其次 (“next”) and 此次 (“this time”). Japanese reads it shi, “next”, as a JLPT N3 kanji.
- Pinyin
- cì
- Strokes
- 6
- HSK
- 2
- Radical
- 欠 (“to owe”)
Stroke by stroke
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- Dot ㇔top leftdown and right
- Rising stroke ㇀bottom leftdown and right → up and right
- Left-falling stroke ㇒topdown and left
- Horizontal hook ㇖toprightwards → down and left
- Left-falling stroke ㇒centerdown and right → down and left
- Right-falling stroke ㇏centerdown and right → rightwards
Japanese and Chinese
Japanese and Chinese draw all 6 strokes in the same order and direction, by our stroke-by-stroke comparison.
次 as a measure word
- 事故 — accident
- 动员 — to mobilize
- 劳动 — work
- 午饭 — lunch
- 午餐 — lunch
- 失败 — to be defeated
Trace it
Follow the numbers. Tracing help
Pinyin and meaning
| Pinyin | Meanings | Traditional | In words |
|---|---|---|---|
| cì fourth tone | next in sequence; second; the second (day, time etc); secondary; vice- | — | 再次 其次 此次 首次 |
- HSK 2025 syllabus
- level 2
- 2021 standard
- level 1
- HSK 2.0
- in a level 2 word
- Words with it
- 131 in CC-CEDICT
Words with 次
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 次 | cì | next in sequence; second HSK 2 |
| 再次 | zàicì | once more; once again HSK 4 |
| 其次 | qícì | next; secondly HSK 4 |
| 此次 | cǐcì | this time HSK 4 |
| 首次 | shǒucì | first; first time HSK 5 |
| 一次性 | yícìxìng | one-off (offer); one-time HSK 5 |
| 场次 場次 | chǎngcì | the number of showings of a movie, play etc; screening HSK 6 |
| 层次 層次 | céngcì | layer; level HSK 6 |
| 次数 次數 | cìshù | number of times; frequency HSK 6 |
| 人次 | réncì | person-times; visits HSK 7-9 |
HSK words first (CC-CEDICT).
Practice sheet
Print at 100%. Several characters: worksheet maker.
Keep going
HSK 2, in list order: