The character 一 — “one”: how to write it and what it means
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The Chinese character 一 is read yī and means “one”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 一
一 has 1 stroke. At each step the new stroke is highlighted — write them in the same order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical, a frame before what is inside it, and the bottom stroke of the frame last.
To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for 一, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 一 is made of
Before a measure word its tone changes: yí before a fourth tone, yì before the others. In numbers and dates it stays yī.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 一
- 一下once, for a momentHSK 1
- 一半halfHSK 1
- 一些some, a fewHSK 1
- 一点儿a littleHSK 1
- 一起togetherHSK 2
- 一会儿a moment; soonHSK 2
- 一样sameHSK 3
- 一共in totalHSK 3
- 一定definitely, surelyHSK 3
- 一直all along; straightHSK 3
- 一边while (一边…一边)HSK 3
- 一般ordinary; usuallyHSK 3
- 一块儿together (colloq.)HSK 3
- 一生whole lifeHSK 4
- 一切everythingHSK 4
- 单一single, uniformHSK 5
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 一?
一 has 1 stroke. They follow the usual rules: top to bottom, left to right, horizontal before vertical, outside before inside. The order of each stroke is shown on this page.
What does 一 mean?
一 means “one”. It appears in 一下 (“once”), 一半 (“half”), 一些 (“some”), 一点儿 (“a little”).
How do you pronounce 一?
一 is read yī. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 一 have?
1 stroke.
More characters on the page “Chinese characters with meanings” and in the list of HSK characters by level; whole words are in the dictionary.
Write 一 yourself
In the lessons you write characters stroke by stroke with a finger or a mouse, and the course checks the order. You can start for free, no sign-up needed.
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