The character 乙 — “second”: how to write it and what it means
second (in order)
The Chinese character 乙 is read yǐ and means “second (in order)”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 乙
乙 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 乙, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 乙 is made of
The second sign of an old counting system: 甲 is first, 乙 is second. Hints at the reading of 艺 and 忆 yì.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 乙?
乙 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 乙 mean?
乙 means “second (in order)”.
How do you pronounce 乙?
乙 is read yǐ. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 乙 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 乙 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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