第

Stroke order

第 (Kangxi radical 118, 竹+5, 11 strokes, cangjie input 竹弓中竹 (HNLH), four-corner 8822₇, composition ⿱𥫗𢎨)

• 𭊗, 𡠨, 𭞟, 𰜷, 𭧞, 𬄏, 𫦒

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 881, character 4
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 25943
• Dae Jaweon: page 1308, character 20
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 5, page 2959, character 9
• Unihan data for U+7B2C

Phono-semantic compound (形聲 / 形声, OC *diːls): semantic 𥫗 (“bamboo”) + phonetic 弟 (OC *diːlʔ, *diːls). 竹 here refers to the bamboo strips used for writing (e.g. accounting, classification) in ancient times. See also 等.

Alternatively, may have originally been written 弟.

Karlgren (1956: 14) connects this word with → tī 梯 ‘ladder’.

第

1. sequence; number
2. grade; degree
3. (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) mansion; residence (of a high official)

   • 裴封叔之第在光德里。

     From: c. 800, 柳宗元 (Liu Zongyuan), 《梓人傳》, translated by Yang Xianyi and Gladys Yang

     Péi Fēngshū zhī dì zài Guāngdélǐ.

     Pei Fengshu lives in Guangde Lane.

   • 晤謝曰：“處賤，無以拒也。”太尉曰：“然終不以在吾第。”以如司農治事堂，栖之梁木上。
     晤谢曰：“处贱，无以拒也。”太尉曰：“然终不以在吾第。”以如司农治事堂，栖之梁木上。

     From: 814, 柳宗元 (Liu Zongyuan), 《段太尉逸事狀》, translated by Yang Xianyi and Gladys Yang

     Wù xiè yuē: “Chǔ jiàn, wúyǐ jù yě.” Tàiwèi yuē: “Rán zhōng bù yǐ zài wú dì.” Yǐ rú sīnóng zhìshì táng, qī zhī liángmù shàng.

     “My rank was too low to refuse,” apologized Wei Wu. “Still, this must not remain in my house,” declared the marshal. He thus stowed the gift over a beam in his offce in the ministry of agriculture.

4. (historical) rank in imperial examinations
5. (literary) only; just

   • 嘉為檄召鄧通詣丞相府，不來，且斬通。通恐，入言文帝。文帝曰：「汝第往，吾今使人召若。」通至丞相府，免冠徒跣頓首謝。
     嘉为檄召邓通诣丞相府，不来，且斩通。通恐，入言文帝。文帝曰：「汝第往，吾今使人召若。」通至丞相府，免冠徒跣顿首谢。

     From: The Records of the Grand Historian, by Sima Qian, c. 91 BCE

     Jiā wéi xí zhào Dèng Tōng yì chéngxiàngfǔ, bùlái, qiě zhǎn Tōng. Tōng kǒng, rù yán Wéndì. Wéndì yuē: “Rǔ dì wǎng, wú jīn shǐ rén zhào ruò.” Tōng zhì chéngxiàng fǔ, miǎnguān túxiǎn dùnshǒu xiè.

     Jia wrote out a despatch to summon Deng Tong to come to the chancellor's office; if he refuses to come, he would behead Tong forthwith. Tong was frightened and went in to tell Emperor Wen. Emperor Wen said, “You just go. I shall send someone now to summon you back.” When Tong reached the chancellor's office, he took off his cap, bared his feet, and struck his forehead on the ground to apologize.

   • 江山之外，第見風帆沙鳥，煙雲竹樹而已。
     江山之外，第见风帆沙鸟，烟云竹树而已。

     From: 999 September 27, 王禹偁 (Wang Yucheng), 《黃州新建小竹樓記》, translated by Luo Jingguo (罗经国)

     Jiāngshān zhīwài, dì jiàn fēngfān shāniǎo, yānyún zhúshù éryǐ.

     Within my field of vision besides the mountains and the river, there are nothing but sailing boats, shorebirds, mists, clouds, and stands of bamboo.

6. Ordinal number marker, used before a number to make the number ordinal.

   第二  ―  dì'èr  ―  second

   第十  ―  dìshí  ―  tenth

   安全第一  ―  ānquán dìyī  ―  safety first

7. a surname

Contraction of 第二 (dai6 ji6, “second”).

第

1. (Cantonese) different; another; other

Contraction of 第一 (tē-it, “first”).

第

1. (Quanzhou and Xiamen Hokkien) most

• “第”, in 教育部臺灣台語常用詞辭典 (overall work in Mandarin and Hokkien), Ministry of Education, R.O.C., 2025.

From 是 or 然.

第

1. (Shanghainese, obsolete) this

This pronunciation was used in both Songjiang and urban Shanghai in the 19th Century, but is obsolete in all forms of modern Shanghainese, having been replaced by the glottalized variant 迭. The character 第 is still occasionally used to write the latter pronunciation.

Others:

• → Khmer: ទី (tii)

(Third grade kyōiku kanji)

• Go-on: だい (dai, Jōyō)
• Kan-on: てい (tei)
• Kun: ついで (tsuide, 第で)、やしき (yashiki, 第)、ただ (tada)

• (Tokyo) だい (Atamadaka – )
• IPA^(key):

第(だい) • (dai-) 

1. ordinal marker, often with affix 号

   第(だい)２号(にごう)

   dai-ni gō

   The 2nd

   第(だい)１３話(じゅうさんわ)

   dai-jūsan wa

   Chapter 13

From Middle Chinese 第 (MC dejH).

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key):
• Phonetic hangul:
  • Though still prescribed in Standard Korean, most speakers in both Koreas no longer distinguish vowel length.

Korean Wikisource has texts containing the hanja:

第

Wikisource

第 (eumhun 차례(次例) 제)

1. hanja form^? of 제 (“turn; sequence”)

• 국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會 大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전／電子字典.

第: Hán Nôm readings: đệ

第

1. chữ Hán form of đệ
   1. (only before Sino-Vietnamese numerals) ordinal number marker, used only to mark the generation of a person who shares their name with their parents or grandparents, equivalent to the use of I, II, III, etc. in English.
   2. (only before Sino-Vietnamese numerals, rare) ordinal number marker in general

      第三國際 (Đệ Tam Quốc tế)

      the Third International

      第一夫人 (Đệ Nhất Phu nhân)

      the First Lady