壹 (yī) is a Chinese character meaning “one — the formal, anti-tampering form of 一 used on cheques,”. It is written from 士 (scholar) and 冖 (cover) and 豆 (bean; legume), and takes 12 strokes.
Build the character for “one (formal form)”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
士 + 冖 + 豆
Top–middle–bottom structure
Structure from: modern-glyph decomposition (IDS ⿳士冖豆; 笔画数 3+2+7=12，与 hanzi-writer-data 的 12 笔一致)
Memory aid
A scholar (士) stands on top, a cover (冖) spreads beneath him, and under the cover sits a tall food vessel (豆). All three parts really are in this character. Picture the scholar guarding one sealed pot — the single one that counts.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
12 strokes
In real words
- 壹拾yī shíten (formal figures)壹 = yī
- 壹佰yī bǎione hundred (formal figures)壹 = yīspoken asyì bǎi
Go deeper
All readings
one (formal form)
one — the formal, anti-tampering form of 一 used on cheques, receipts and contracts
数字「一」的大写形式，用于支票、发票、合同等正式票据，笔画多，不易被涂改。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 壹拾yī shíten (formal figures)壹 = yī
- 壹佰yī bǎione hundred (formal figures)壹 = yīspoken asyì bǎi
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 壹 mean?
壹 (yī) means one — the formal, anti-tampering form of 一 used on cheques, receipts and contracts.
How do you pronounce 壹?
It is pronounced yī.
What parts is 壹 made of?
士 (scholar) and 冖 (cover) and 豆 (bean; legume). The recorded source is: modern-glyph decomposition (IDS ⿳士冖豆; 笔画数 3+2+7=12，与 hanzi-writer-data 的 12 笔一致). Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 壹 have?
12. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 壹?
士. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 壹?
Common ones are 壹拾 and 壹佰. The reading of 壹 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.