再 (zài): again, once more, re-, further, beyond this point of time, (before an adjective) more
再 (zài) is a Chinese character meaning “again.” Classified as HSK Level 1 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 一 (structural) and 冉 (structural). It ranks #242 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically pictographic, 再 two fish 冉 caught on a line 一. Its radical form 冂 (wide) appears in many related characters such as 最 (zuì, (before an adjective or verb) to the highest degree), 内 (nèi, inside), 冒 (mào, to emit).
Definitions
- again
- once more
- re-
- further
- beyond this point of time
- (before an adjective) more
Etymology & Origin
pictographicTwo fish 冉 caught on a line 一
Decomposition: ⿱一冉 (layout: top-bottom)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 再 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 再
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 再见verb | zài jiàn | goodbye | 1 |
| 再次adverb | zài cì | once more | 4 |
| 再说verb/conjunction | zài shuō | to say again | 4 |
| 再生verb | zài shēng | to be reborn | 6 |
| 一再adverb | yī zài | repeatedly | 6 |
| 再三adverb | zài sān | over and over again | 6 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 不再 | bù zài | no more |
| 再也 | zài yě | (not) ever again |
| 再度 | zài dù | once more |
| 再婚 | zài hūn | to remarry |
| 再现 | zài xiàn | to recreate |
| 东山再起 | dōng shān zài qǐ | lit. to return to office after living as a hermit on Mount Dongshan (idiom) |
| 再不 | zài bù | or else |
| 再会 | zài huì | to meet again |
| 再造 | zài zào | to rebuild |
| 再者 | zài zhě | moreover |
| 再接再厉 | zài jiē zài lì | to continue the struggle (idiom) |
| 时不再来 | shí bù zài lái | Time that has passed will never come back. (idiom) |
| 再嫁 | zài jià | (of woman) to remarry |
| 再审 | zài shěn | to hear a case again |
| 再就是 | zài jiù shì | another one is ... |
再 appears in 83 compound words: 73 as the first character, 5 as the last, and 22 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 再 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (12)
to make the same mistake(s) again and again; to continue making error after error
to make persistent efforts; to redouble one's efforts; to keep up one's good work
person that has extended great grace to someone else, particularly a person that has saved their life
weakening and close to exhaustion (idiom); in terminal decline; on one's last legs
a doctor with excellent medical skills, just like Hua Tuo reincarnated
Example Sentences
学习再字需要反复练习，才能写得工整。
xué xí zài zì xū yāo fǎn fù liàn xí , cái néng xiě dé gōng zhěng .
Mastering the character "再" requires repeated practice to write it neatly.
阿曼证实美伊2/26日内瓦再谈 传德黑兰愿就核计画让步
ā 曼 zhèng shí měi yī 2 2 6 rì nèi wǎ zài tán chuán dé hēi lán yuàn jiù hé jì huà ràng bù
Oman confirmed that the United States and Iran will talk again in Geneva on 2/26 and it is rumored that Tehran is willing to make concessions on the nuclear program
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...
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 . . .
Oman: The United States and Iran negotiated again in Switzerland on the 26th Iranian Foreign Minister: The nuclear issue may still be resolved diplomatically...
冬奥/男子4人雪车洛赫纳再登顶 马尔吉斯创5金纪录
dōng ào nán zǐ 4 rén xuě chē 洛 hè nà zài dēng dǐng mǎ ěr jí sī chuàng 5 jīn jì lù
Winter Olympics/Men's 4-man bobsleigh, Lochner reached the top again, and Margis set a 5-gold record
江若琳支持老公追梦 相隔20年再出歌
jiāng ruò 琳 zhī chí lǎo gōng zhuī mèng xiāng gé 2 0 nián zài chū gē
Jiang Ruolin supports her husband to pursue her dreams and sing again after 20 years
【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:
你能再给我点茶吗？
Nǐ néng zài gěi wǒ diǎn chá ma?
Would you please give me some more tea?
要不要再来一些沙拉？
Yàobù yào zài lái yīxiē shālā?
Would you like some more salad?
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?
我可以再吃一块蛋糕吗？
Wǒ kěyǐ zài chī yīkuài dàngāo ma?
May I have another piece of cake?
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 再 (zài) mean in Chinese?
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What characters sound the same as 再 (zài)?
Is 再 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 再 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear native pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.