一
one
HSK level
- Pinyin
- yī
- Part of speech
- phrase
- Level
- HSK 1
- Strokes
- 1
- Register
- neutral
Stroke order for 一
一 is written with 1 stroke. The animation replays automatically.
What does 一 mean?
一 (yī) is the Chinese number 'one' — a single horizontal stroke, the simplest character in the language.
But it's also the trickiest HSK 1 character because its tone changes depending on what follows it (tone sandhi): 一 is yī when alone or at the end of a phrase (第一 dìyī 'first'), yì (fourth tone) before first, second, or third tones (一杯 yì bēi 'one cup,' 一年 yì nián 'one year,' 一本书 yì běn shū 'one book'), and yí (second tone) before another fourth tone (一个 yí ge 'one [item],' 一定 yídìng 'definitely'). Don't write the tone change in pinyin for dictionaries — yī is the citation form — but pronounce it correctly.
A separate reading yāo is used when reading out digits one by one (phone numbers, room numbers): 一一八 = yāo yāo bā. Always followed by a measure word before a noun: 一个人 (one person), never 一人.
Example sentences
我有一个哥哥。
Wǒ yǒu yí ge gēge.
I have one older brother.
spoken
请给我一杯水。
Qǐng gěi wǒ yì bēi shuǐ.
Please give me a glass of water.
polite
我们一起去吧。
Wǒmen yìqǐ qù ba.
Let's go together.
spoken
他是我的第一个老师。
Tā shì wǒ de dì yī ge lǎoshī.
He's my first teacher.
neutral
Common phrases with 一
Don't confuse 一 with
二 is 'two' as a number in counting (一, 二, 三) and dates / floors. But for 'two of something,' Chinese uses 两 (liǎng), not 二. 一 (one) takes any measure word; 二 doesn't usually combine with measure words for quantity.
壹 is the formal / financial form of 'one,' used on banknotes, checks, and contracts to prevent forgery. 一 is the everyday form. You'll see 壹 written on Chinese currency.
幺 itself isn't usually written for the number, but 一 has the alternate spoken reading yāo when reading digits one-by-one (phone numbers, room numbers): 房间 218 = èr yāo bā. Don't say 'yī bā' for a phone digit.
FAQ
Acquire it by listening
Meet 一 again — in real Chinese, at your level.
Fluentide turns real news into Chinese listening at your exact level, so words like 一 show up again and again in natural sentences — with pinyin and translation every time. No flashcards. Free to start.