Chinese character for one: 一 (yī)
The Chinese character for one is 一 (yī). It is a single horizontal stroke and means one, a single, or the whole of something, as in 一起 (yìqǐ, together) and 一生 (yìshēng, a lifetime). Its tone changes to yí or yì before other syllables.
How 一 is built
一 is the simplest Chinese character: one stroke for one thing, a counting mark. Two strokes make 二 (two) and three make 三 (three). In philosophy 一 can stand for unity and the whole, as in 天人合一 (heaven and humanity as one). It is also a very common part of other characters. 一 is identical in simplified and traditional Chinese.
一 yī · one
一 is not built from smaller parts; it is written with 1 strokes.
Origin hint: Represents heaven (天), earth (旦), or the number 1 (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
How 一 is used
Other ways to say one
- 壹 yī — formal 'one' used on cheques and banknotes to prevent fraud
Before you use it as a tattoo or design: A lone 一 can look like a dash, so it works better inside a phrase such as 一生 (a lifetime).
Questions
What is the Chinese character for one?
一 (yī) means “one”.
How do you pronounce 一?
一 is pronounced yī.