次 (cì) is a Chinese character meaning “measure word for occurrences (a time, a round)”. It is written from 冫 (ice; two dots of ice) and 欠 (to yawn; to owe; to lack), side by side, and takes 6 strokes.
Build the character for “time (occurrence); next”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
冫 + 欠
Left–right structure
Structure from: Unicode IDS ⿰冫欠, checked against hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 modern glyph strokes (2 + 4 = 6)
Memory aid
Two flecks of ice (冫) beside a yawning figure (欠): standing in the cold, yawning, waiting for your turn — there is always a next time.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
6 strokes
In real words
- 上次shàng cìlast time; the previous occasion次 = cì
- 又一次yòu yī cìonce again次 = cìspoken asyòu yí cì
- 层次céng cìlevel; layer; gradation次 = cì
- 档次dàng cìgrade; level (of quality)次 = cì
Go deeper
All readings
time (occurrence); next
measure word for occurrences (a time, a round); next in order; second-rate
量词，表示动作发生的回数；也表示次序上紧接着的、第二的。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 上次shàng cìlast time; the previous occasion次 = cì
- 又一次yòu yī cìonce again次 = cìspoken asyòu yí cì
- 层次céng cìlevel; layer; gradation次 = cì
- 档次dàng cìgrade; level (of quality)次 = cì
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 次 mean?
次 (cì) means measure word for occurrences (a time, a round); next in order; second-rate.
How do you pronounce 次?
It is pronounced cì.
What parts is 次 made of?
冫 (ice; two dots of ice) and 欠 (to yawn; to owe; to lack), side by side. The recorded source is: Unicode IDS ⿰冫欠, checked against hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 modern glyph strokes (2 + 4 = 6). Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 次 have?
6. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 次?
欠. 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 次?
Common ones are 上次 and 又一次. The reading of 次 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.