第一 (dìyī) — First in Mandarin
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#453 most common word · HSK 2 · CEFR A2
Pinyin colour key: tone 1 (high flat), tone 2 (rising), tone 3 (dipping), tone 4 (falling), neutral.
Tone breakdown
第一 is pronounced dìyī. Tap any syllable’s row to hear the whole word.
In a sentence
Tā shì dì yī ge.
He is the first one.
Hear it, then say it right
Reading pinyin only gets you halfway. ToneDeck plays native audio for 第一 and thousands more words, then scores your pronunciation so your tones land. HSK 1 is free, no install.
Start freeFrequently asked questions
What does 第一 mean?+
第一 (dìyī) means "First" in Mandarin Chinese.
How do you pronounce 第一?+
第一 is pronounced dìyī. It uses the tone 4 (falling), then the tone 1 (high flat). Tap the character on this page to hear native audio.
How common is 第一 in Mandarin?+
第一 is the #453 most frequent word in spoken Mandarin, so it is one of the first words worth learning.
Where 第一 fits
Every HSK 2 word with tone-coloured pinyin and audio.
Words at a similar frequency
Master the tones first
What each tone sounds like and why it matters.
Why some tones change in connected speech.
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