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How to write 第 (dì, “prefix”)

第 (dì), an HSK 1 character, means “prefix”, “grades in” and “residence of a high official”. It is a character whose parts combine into its meaning. On its own it is an HSK 1 word; it also forms 第一手 (“first-hand”), 上第 (“top notch”) and 不第 (“to fail the civil service examination”). Japanese reads it dai, “No.”, as a JLPT N1 kanji.

Pinyin
dì
Strokes
11
HSK
1
Radical
⺮ (“bamboo”)

Stroke by stroke

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. 11

As a top-bottom character it splits into ⺮ (“bamboo”, the radical), strokes 1–6; 弟 (“younger brother”), strokes 7–11, written the top first.

  1. top leftdown and right → down and left
  2. top leftrightwards
  3. Dottop lefta dot
  4. topdown and right → down and left
  5. toprightwards
  6. topdown and right
  7. leftrightwards
  8. leftrightwards
  9. leftdownwards → rightwards → downwards
  10. centerdownwards
  11. centerdown and left

Names of the strokes

Japanese and Chinese

The two models differ in shape, so our comparison does not claim an order; compare the numbered frames yourself (11 strokes in Japanese, 11 strokes in Chinese).

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Japanese · KanjiVG · 11 strokes
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Chinese · Make Me a Hanzi · 11 strokes

Where 第 comes from

Bamboo strips ⺮ arrayed in sequence; 弟 provides the pronunciation

Trace it

Follow the numbers. Tracing help

Pinyin and meaning

PinyinMeaningsTraditionalIn words
dì
fourth tone		(prefix indicating ordinal number, as in 第六 (dìliù) "sixth"); (literary) grades in which successful candidates in the imperial examinations were placed; (old) residence of a high official; (literary) but; however; (literary) only; just—第一手 上第 不第 第一
HSK 2025 syllabus
level 1
2021 standard
level 1
HSK 2.0
in a level 2 word
Words with it
75 in CC-CEDICT

Words with 第

WordPinyinMeaning
第dìprefix indicating ordinal number, as in 第六 (dìliù) "sixth"; grades in… HSK 1
第一手dìyīshǒufirst-hand HSK 7-9
上第shàngdìtop notch; highest quality
不第bùdìto fail the civil service examination
第一dìyīfirst; most important
第二dìèrsecond; number two
第五dìwǔfifth
第二天dìèrtiānnext day; the morrow
第六人dìliùrén(basketball) sixth man
天下第一tiānxiàdìyīfirst under heaven; number one in the country

HSK words first (CC-CEDICT).

Practice sheet

Print at 100%. Several characters: worksheet maker.

Keep going

HSK 1, in list order: