一
Tap the pinyin to hear it
one; single; a (article); as soon as; entire; whole; all; throughout; "one" radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 1); also pr. [yao1] for greater clarity when spelling out numbers digit by digit
Formation & memory
Break the character into parts you already know.
How 一 is formed
Ideographic compound (会意字)
Represents heaven (天), earth (旦), or the number 1
How to remember it
one · Heisig RSH #1
— as a component also called: floor, ceiling
Keyword method from Heisig's Remembering Simplified Hanzi.
Words with 一
The most common words first — learning a character in context makes it stick.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 一会儿 | a moment; a while; in a moment; now...now...; also pr. [yi1 hui3 r5] | |
| 一下儿 | erhua form of 一下[yi1 xia4] | |
| 一点儿 | erhua variant of 一點|一点[yi1 dian3] | |
| 一起 | (in) the same place; together; in company (with); altogether; in total; an instance of; a … | |
| 一半 | half | |
| 一边 | one side; either side; on the one hand; on the other hand; doing while | |
| 一样 | same; like; equal to; the same as; just like | |
| 一块儿 | erhua variant of 一塊|一块[yi1 kuai4] | |
| 一些 | some; a few; a little; (following an adjective) slightly ...er | |
| 不一 | to vary; to differ | |
| 大一 | first year of university | |
| 一人 | one person; a single person; (literary) the emperor | |
| 一一 | one by one; one after another | |
| 一头 | one head; a head full of sth; one end (of a stick); one side; headlong; directly; rapidly;… | |
| 头一 | the first | |
| 一心 | wholeheartedly; heart and soul | |
| 一生 | all one's life; throughout one's life | |
| 一家子 | the whole family | |
| 一水儿 | (coll.) of the same type; identical | |
| 一不小心 | to be a little bit careless; to have a moment of inattentiveness; accidentally |