Meaning of 九
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- nine
- 9
How to use 九
九 is used for counting, dates, phone numbers and prices, and it combines with 十 to build bigger numbers like 十九 (shíjiǔ, 19) and 九十 (jiǔshí, 90). With a noun you usually need a measure word: 我有九本书。(Wǒ yǒu jiǔ běn shū.) I have nine books.
九 (jiǔ) looks like a person bending forward with a long arm reaching out, almost touching ten. Think of nine as one step short of 十 (shí), the neat cross.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 九 with 力 (lì, strength) or 丸 (wán, pill) because the shapes are close. In 九 the second stroke ends with an upward hook on the right, and there is no dot inside like in 丸.
九 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
九 jiǔ · nine · 2 strokes
- 1
- 2
Related words
Words that share a character with 九.
Questions about 九
What does 九 mean?
九 (jiǔ) means "nine; 9" and is used as a numeral.
How do you write 九?
九 is made of 1 character: 九 (2 strokes). That is 2 strokes in total.
Is 九 an HSK word?
Yes. 九 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
Does the tone of 九 change before other words?
No. Unlike 一 (yī) and 不 (bù), 九 keeps its third tone in normal speech. The usual third tone sandhi still applies, so in 九九 (jiǔjiǔ) or 九点 (jiǔ diǎn) the first jiǔ sounds closer to a second tone.
What does 十有八九 mean, and why is 九 used in it?
十有八九 (shíyǒubājiǔ) means "most likely", literally "eight or nine out of ten." 九 here shows a very high proportion, similar to 九成 (jiǔchéng), which means ninety percent.