How to Write 次 (cì) — Meaning “Time / Order / Next”

Imagine you are freezing (冫) and you yawn (欠) because you are so cold. You tell yourself, 'Next time (次) I will bring a coat!' This visual link helps you recall the two dots on the left and the yawn shape on the right.

Write the two dots on the left first, close together and slightly slanted. The right side starts with a horizontal stroke, then a left-falling stroke, followed by a horizontal-left-falling stroke that bends like a hook, and finally a right-falling stroke. A common mistake is making the left side too wide or mixing up the order of the last two strokes on the right.

次 has two dots (冫) on the left, while 欠 has no left part—it is just the right side of 次. 欢 has a different left component: '又' (like a hand) instead of two dots. In meaning, 次 is about time or order, 欠 means 'to owe' or 'lack', and 欢 means 'happy'.

You use 次 as a measure word for counting events or actions, for example 一次 (one time) or 几次 (several times). It also appears in words for 'next' like 下次 (next time) and for ordinal order like 第一次 (first time). It is very common in daily conversations about experiences or frequency.

Common words containing 次 include: 第一次 (dì yī cì) — The first time; 几次 (jǐ cì) — several times; how many times; 下次 (xià cì) — next time.