Meaning of 十
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- ten
- 10
How to use 十
十 is used for counting and builds larger numbers: 二十 (èrshí) is twenty and 十二 (shí'èr) is twelve. It also appears in words like 十分 (shífēn), meaning very. Example: 我十分高兴。(Wǒ shífēn gāoxìng.) I am very happy.
十 (shí) looks like a plus sign, and ten is what you get when you count to the end of your two hands. Picture one horizontal stroke crossed by one vertical stroke, like the cross in 十字路口 (shízì lùkǒu), a crossroads.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 十 (shí) with 干 (gān) or 千 (qiān, thousand), which add extra strokes on top. Also, 十 (shí) and 四 (sì, four) can sound alike to beginners, so keep the rising tone and the retroflex sh clear.
十 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.
十 shí · ten · 2 strokes
- 1
- 2
Related words
Words that share a character with 十.
Questions about 十
What does 十 mean?
十 (shí) means "ten; 10" and is used as a numeral.
How do you write 十?
十 is made of 1 character: 十 (2 strokes). That is 2 strokes in total.
Is 十 an HSK word?
Yes. 十 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
Do you say 一十 for ten?
Usually not. On its own, ten is just 十 (shí). Inside larger numbers, 一 appears before 十, as in 一百一十 (yìbǎi yīshí), 110.
Why does 十 sometimes sound toneless in numbers?
In the middle of a number like 五十五 (wǔshiwǔ), 十 is often said lightly and can lose some of its tone in fast speech. When it stands alone or comes first, it keeps the full rising tone, shí.