三 meaning and stroke order
Three; 3
How to write 三, stroke by stroke
3 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
Meaning of 三
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- three
- 3
How 三 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. Three parallel lines; compare 一 (one) and 二 (two).
Radical: 一 (one), shared by 34 characters on this site.
How to remember 三
三 (sān) is simply three horizontal lines, one stroke for each unit. Think of it as 一 (one) stacked on top of 二 (two), which adds up to three.
三 is the everyday word for the number three and appears in counting, dates, and many set phrases. Before a noun it needs a measure word, as in 三个人 (sān gè rén) three people. It also shows up in common words like 三明治 (sānmíngzhì) sandwich and 三角 (sānjiǎo) triangle.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes write the three lines all the same length. In standard writing the middle line is the shortest and the bottom line is the longest. Also keep the first tone flat and high in sān, and do not confuse it with 山 (shān) mountain, which sounds similar but has a different initial.
Common words with 三
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 再三 | zàisān | over and over again; again and again | HSK 4 |
| 三明治 | sānmíngzhì | (loanword) sandwich | HSK 6 |
| 三角 | sānjiǎo | triangle; (math.) trigonometry (abbr. for 三角學|三角学[san1 jiao3 xue2]) | HSK 7-9 |
| 接二连三 | jiē'èr-liánsān | (idiom) one after another; in quick succession | HSK 7-9 |
| 三维 | sānwéi | three-dimensional; 3D | HSK 7-9 |
| 举一反三 | jǔyī-fǎnsān | to raise one and infer three; to deduce many things from one case (idiom) | HSK 7-9 |
| 三番五次 | sānfān-wǔcì | over and over again (idiom) | HSK 7-9 |
| 朝三暮四 | zhāosān-mùsì | lit. say three in the morning but four in the evening (idiom); to change sth that is alrea | HSK 7-9 |
| 三次 | sāncì | third; three times | |
| 三十 | sānshí | thirty; 30 | |
| 十三 | shísān | thirteen; 13 | |
| 三分 | sānfēn | somewhat; to some degree | |
| 三倍 | sānbèi | triple; three times as much; threefold | |
| 三八 | sānbā | International Women's Day 婦女節|妇女节[Fu4 nu:3 jie2], 8th March; foolish |
三 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 三
Learning 三 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 三
How many strokes are in 三?
三 is written with 3 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 三 mean?
三 (sān) means three; 3. A common word with it is 再三 (zàisān), meaning "over and over again; again and again".
How do you pronounce 三?
三 is pronounced sān, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 三?
The radical of 三 is 一, which carries the idea of "one". Dictionaries list 三 under this radical.
Is 三 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 三 is part of the HSK 1 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 1.
Why does 三 appear in so many idioms about repetition?
In Chinese, three often stands for 'many' or 'repeatedly'. That is why 再三 (zàisān) means again and again and 三番五次 (sānfān-wǔcì) means over and over. 接二连三 (jiē'èr-liánsān) uses two and three together to mean one after another.
What does 举一反三 (jǔyī-fǎnsān) mean and when do people say it?
It literally means to raise one and infer three. It praises someone who can learn one example and apply it to many similar cases. Teachers often use it to encourage students to think beyond a single problem.