Writing
第一 (dì yī) — how to say "first" in Chinese
第一
First
numeral
Character composition
prefix for ordinal numbers
one
Radicals / Keys
Bamboo
#118 · zhú · 6 strokes
One
#1 · yī · 1 stroke
Synonyms
Examples
今天我考了第一名。
Today I got first place on the exam.
他是第一
He is first.
Mnemonic

[dì yī-] Dino Danny arrives first at the party, carrying a sign that says 第一 "FIRST" 🥇. The sign has a horizontal line 一 to symbolize his top spot. Dino proudly shows everyone that he is 第一 first, and dances joyfully to the music.
Ordinals, fractions, percent
Ordinals, fractions and percent in Chinese →Frequently asked questions
How do you say "first" in Chinese?
"first" in Chinese is 第一 (dì yī).
Di yi meaning in English
第一 (dì yī) means "First".
First in Chinese pinyin
It is pronounced dì yī (written as di yi, diyi). You can listen to the pronunciation on this page.
How do you write "first" in Chinese characters?
It is written 第一: 第 has 11 strokes, 一 has 1 stroke. The Writing section above animates the stroke order of each character and lets you trace it.
What HSK level is 第一?
第一 belongs to the HSK 2 vocabulary list.
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