第(dì)

HSK 111 strokes

(prefix indicating ordinal number

Print a 第 worksheet PDFPractice writing 第

Stroke order animation

Character information

Pinyin
dì
Meaning
(prefix indicating ordinal number, as in 第六[di4 liu4] "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
Strokes
11
HSK level
HSK 1
Traditional
Same

Origin & structure

Where 第 comes from and how its parts fit together.

Ideograph⿱⺮弟

Bamboo strips ⺮ arrayed in sequence; 弟 provides the pronunciation

A combination of parts whose meanings add up to the whole.

Made of

⺮弟dì

Parts are arranged top to bottom.

How to write 第 step by step

11 strokes — each frame adds one stroke, shown in dark ink over the lighter ones.

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

Words with 第

Common words using 第 — tap any character to open its stroke-order page.

dì第yī一shǒu手
HSK 7-9

first-hand

Open 第一手 page →
dì第yī一xiàn线
HSK 7-9

front line

Open 第一线 page →
shàng上dì第

top notch; highest quality

Open 上第 page →
bù不dì第

to fail the civil service examination (in imperial China)

Open 不第 page →
jí及dì第

to pass an imperial examination

Open 及第 page →
bó勃gèn艮dì第

Burgundy (Bourgogne), a medieval kingdom and later a powerful duchy, now a region of Fr…

Open 勃艮第 page →
yìn印dì第ān安

(American) Indian

Open 印第安 page →
yìn印dì第ān安nà纳

Indiana, US state

Open 印第安纳 page →

Related characters

More HSK 1 characters

一七三上下不东两

From 第’s common words

一手线上不及勃艮

Ready to master 第?

Trace 第 stroke by stroke in the online practice tool, or turn it into a printable worksheet PDF with Tianzige practice grids, pinyin, and stroke-order breakdowns.

Practice 第 onlineGenerate worksheet PDFBrowse all of HSK 1 →