What is the Kanji for "Ordinal number"?

If you are wondering what is the Japanese Kanji for "Ordinal number", you've come to the right place!

The Japanese Kanji for "Ordinal number" is "第".

This kanji has 1 reading:

Its onyomi reading is "Dai".

kunyomi readings are based on the pronunciation of native Japanese words, and onyomi readings are based on the Chinese pronunciation of the character.

If you visually breakdown this kanji, you can see is made up of 2 parts:

The radical "⺮" means "Bamboo" . And The kanji "弓" means "Bow" and can be read as "Kyuu" and "Yumi".

Now, let's make sure you understand this kanji the other way around too.

What does the kanji "第" mean in japanese?

"第" means "Ordinal number".

Japanese School Students learn this kanji in Third Grade, while foreigners may learn this kanji in preparation for the JLPT N1 exam.

Here are some words that use this kanji:

第: "Ordinal". The prefix '第 (だい)' is used to indicate the ordinal number of something. It is typically used to denote the order or sequence of items, such as '第一', '第二', '第三', etc. This prefix adds an ordinal meaning to the following noun. For example: The third volume - (第三巻), The 5th day - (第五日)

次第: "Depending on" or "Accordingly". The noun '次第 (しだい)' means 'depending on' or 'accordingly'. It is used to indicate that something will happen or be done in a way that is determined by the circumstances or situation. For example: I will decide what to do next, depending on the weather - (天気次第で次に何をするか決めます). The timing of the event will be decided accordingly - (その行事の時間は次第に決めます).

次第に: "Gradually" or "Step by step". The Japanese adverb '次第に (しだいに)' means 'gradually' or 'step by step'. It is used to describe something that happens or changes over time, in a slow and incremental manner. This adverb is commonly used to express a slow progression or change, such as the weather getting warmer, a person's skills improving, or a process unfolding. For example: The snow melted gradually - (雪がしだいに溶けていった). The population increased gradually over the years - (人口は年々しだいに増加した).

第一: "First". The noun '第一 (だいいち)' means 'first'. It is used to indicate the initial or primary position or rank. This word is often used in contexts such as ranking, ordering, and prioritizing. For example: The first place - (第一の場所). This is my first time going there - (それは私の第一回行く場所だ).

落第: "Fail". The word '落第 (らくだい)' is a Japanese verbal noun meaning 'to fail'. It is used to describe the act of failing, such as failing an examination or school grade. This word has a negative connotation and implies that someone was unable to meet the required standards or expectations. For example: He failed the exam - (彼は試験に落第した). I don't want to fail the class - (クラスに落第したくない)

To make really sure you learn this Kanji, I've prepared an interactive lesson for you. You are going to learn the readings and meanings of this kanji.

But first, you need to know a little bit about Hiragana and Katakana.

Hiragana and katakana are japanese syllabaries, this means that each character represents a syllable.

This are the characters you need to know for this lesson:

The hiragana "だ" is read as "da". And The hiragana "い" is read as "i".

Heres a quick tutorial on how to use it. You'll be asked three type of questions: meaning, reading, and writing.

For meanings questions all you have to do is type the english meaning. If there is more than one meaning, you have to include them all in your answer separating them by commas (,).

For Reading questions you have to type the reading in romaji (roman letters, our normal alphabet) and it'll be automatically converted to hiragana if necessary. If there is more than one reading, you have to include them all in your answer separating them by commas (,).

For Writing questions some options will appear and all you have to do is select the correct ones.