次 (cì): next in sequence, second, the second (day, time etc)
次 (cì) is a Chinese character meaning “next in sequence.” Classified as HSK Level 2 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 冫 (structural) and 欠 (structural). It ranks #183 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 次 a person 欠 yawning multiple times 冫. Its radical form 欠 (yawn) appears in many related characters such as 欢 (huān, hubbub), 歌 (gē, song), 欠 (qiàn, to owe).
Definitions
- next in sequence
- second
- the second (day, time etc)
Etymology & Origin
ideographicA person 欠 yawning multiple times 冫
Decomposition: ⿰冫欠 (layout: left-right)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 次 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 次
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 再次adverb | zài cì | once more | 4 |
| 其次 | qí cì | next | 4 |
| 次数noun | cì shù | number of times | 6 |
| 此次 | cǐ cì | this time | 4 |
| 层次noun | céng cì | layer | 6 |
| 一次性adjective | yī cì xìng | one-off (offer) | 5 |
| 首次numeral-measure | shǒu cì | first | 5 |
| 场次noun | chǎng cì | the number of showings of a movie, play etc | 6 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 下次 | xià cì | next time |
| 每次 | měi cì | every time |
| 上次 | shàng cì | last time |
| 多次 | duō cì | many times |
| 初次 | chū cì | for the first time |
| 档次 | dàng cì | grade |
| 次序 | cì xù | sequence |
| 次要 | cì yào | secondary |
| 依次 | yī cì | in order |
| 名次 | míng cì | position in a ranking of names |
| 次级 | cì jí | secondary |
| 次日 | cì rì | next day |
| 次品 | cì pǐn | substandard products |
| 仅次于 | jǐn cì yú | second only to ... |
| 次长 | cì zhǎng | deputy chief |
次 appears in 100 compound words: 32 as the first character, 58 as the last, and 10 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 次 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (7)
lit. twice then three times (idiom); fig. repeatedly; over and over again
Showing 6 of 7 idioms containing 次.
Example Sentences
这个次字在古汉语中有不同的含义。
zhè gě cì zì zài gǔ hàn yǔ zhōng yǒu bù tóng de hán yì .
The character "次" had different meanings in Classical Chinese.
阿曼:美伊26日再次瑞士谈判 伊朗外长:核问题仍可能外交解决
ā 曼 : měi yī 2 6 rì zài cì ruì shì tán pàn yī lǎng wài cháng : hé wèn tí réng kě néng wài jiāo jiě jué
Oman: The United States and Iran held talks again in Switzerland on the 26th Iranian Foreign Minister: The nuclear issue may still be resolved diplomatically
受冬季风暴影响 美国数千架次航班被取消
shòu dōng jì fēng bào yǐng xiǎng měi guó shǔ qiān jià cì háng bān bèi qǔ xiāo
Thousands of flights in the United States were canceled due to the winter storm
美国男子冰球队46年来冬奥首次摘金 川普祝贺
měi guó nán zǐ bīng qiú duì 4 6 nián lái dōng ào shǒu cì zhāi jīn chuān pǔ zhù hè
The U.S. men's ice hockey team won gold at the Winter Olympics for the first time in 46 years, and Trump congratulated him
【城事】外滩开关式人墙再次启用,分流客流确保平台上..
chéng shì wài tān kāi guān shì rén qiáng zài cì qǐ yòng , fēn liú kè liú què bǎo píng tái shàng . .
【City Affairs】The Bund switch-type human wall is used again to divert passenger flow to ensure that the platform is ensured:
AI+玩具引领消费风潮,成都有店铺多次补货仍供不应..
A I wán jù yǐn lǐng xiāo fèi fēng cháo , chéng dōu yǒu diàn pù duō cì bǔ huò réng gōng bù yīng . .
AI+ toys lead the consumption trend, and Chengdu stores have replenished many times but are still in short supply:
你上次去京都是什么时候？
Nǐ shàngcì qù Jīngdū shì shénme shíhou?
When did you visit Kyoto last?
你上次考试考得怎样？
Nǐ shàngcì kǎoshì kǎo de zěnyàng?
How were your last exams?
不好意思，你可以再说一次吗？
Bù hǎoyìsi, nǐ kěyǐ zàishuō yīcì ma?
I'm sorry, could you repeat that please?
请问最后一次开信箱在什么时间？
Qǐngwèn zuì hòu yīcì kāi xìnxiāng zài shénme shíjiān?
Excuse me, when was the mailbox last opened?
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 次 (cì) mean in Chinese?
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What characters sound the same as 次 (cì)?
Is 次 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 次 with real-time feedback
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