次

Tap the pinyin to hear it

next in sequence; second; the second (day, time etc); secondary; vice-; sub-; infra-; inferior quality; substandard; order; sequence; hypo- (chemistry); classifier for enumerated events: time

Make a writing worksheet

HSK 3.0: Level 1
Old HSK: Level 2
Strokes: 6
Radical: 欠 +2
Structure: Left–right 左右
Traditional: 次
Common rank: #478
Unicode: U+6B21

Sound it out + =

Formation & memory

Break the character into parts you already know.

How 次 is formed

Ideographic compound (会意字)

A person 欠 yawning multiple times 冫

Components 冫欠

How to remember it

next · Heisig RSH #478

欠 lack + ice — as a component also called: next, secondary

Keyword method from Heisig's Remembering Simplified Hanzi.

Words with 次

The most common words first — learning a character in context makes it stick.

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
上次	shàng cì	last time
下次	xià cì	next time
一次性	yī cì xìng	one-off (offer); one-time; single-use; disposable (goods)
有一次	yǒu yī cì	once; once upon a time
安次区	Ān cì Qū	Anci, a district of Langfang City 廊坊市[Lang2 fang2 Shi4], Hebei
开三次方	kāi sān cì fāng	(math.) to extract a cube root
下一次	xià yī cì	next; coming; forthcoming; next time; the next occasion
次文化	cì wén huà	subculture
二次大战	Èr cì Dà zhàn	World War Two
立克次体	lì kè cì tǐ	Rickettsia (genus of intracellular parasitic bacteria)
次生林	cì shēng lín	secondary growth of forest
三次方	sān cì fāng	cube (third power, math.)
二次世界大战	Èr cì Shì jiè Dà zhàn	World War Two
一次方程式	yī cì fāng chéng shì	(math.) linear equation
一次方程	yī cì fāng chéng	linear equation
次子	cì zǐ	second son
人次	rén cì	person-times; visits; classifier for number of people participating
一次	yī cì	first; first time; once; (math.) linear (of degree one)
二次方	èr cì fāng	square (i.e. x times x)
次生	cì shēng	derivative; secondary; sub-

Sound family

These characters use 次 as their sound component — compare how they read.

Character	Pinyin	Meaning
次 sound part	cì	order, sequence; second, next; one after the other
资	zī	wealth, property, capital
茨	cí	thatching; caltrop, Tribulus terrestris
姿	zī	grace, good looks; bearing, poise, posture
瓷	cí	china, crockery, porcelain
咨	zī	to inquire, to consult, to discuss; to plan
恣	zì	indulgent; unrestrained
絘	cì	a tax on rolls of cloth
佽	cì	to help, to aid
粢	zī	common millet; grain offered as a sacrifice