Turning “one, two, three” into “first, second, third” is easy in Chinese: just add 第 dì第 dì in front. Add a measure word when a noun follows, and use 名 míng名 míng to talk about rankings.
1Structure: 第 dì第 dì + Number
Put 第 dì第 dì in front of any number, and it becomes an ordinal number — first, second, third, and so on.
1st第一第一dì yī
2nd第二第二dì èr
3rd第三第三dì sān
4th第四第四dì sì
5th第五第五dì wǔ
16th第十六第十六dì shíliù
20th第二十第二十dì èrshí
31st第三十一第三十一dì sānshíyī
Good to Know
“Second” is always 第二 dì èr第二 dì èr, never 第兩 dì liǎng第两 dì liǎng. Ordinal numbers name a position, not a quantity, so they use 二 èr二 èr.
2第 dì第 dì + Number + Measure Word + Noun
If you want to use an ordinal number with a noun, don’t forget to put a measure word in between.
第五瓶水第五瓶水
the fifth bottle of water
第六塊蛋糕第六块蛋糕
the sixth piece of cake
今天是我到台灣的第一天今天是我到台湾的第一天
Today is my first day in Taiwan.
天 tiān天 tiān works like a measure word on its own, so no extra measure word is needed.
這是我第一次來台灣这是我第一次来台湾
This is my first time coming to Taiwan.
很多學生學的第一句中文是「幹」很多学生学的第一句中文是「操」
The first Chinese phrase many students learn is “F*ck.”
3第 dì第 dì + Number + 名 míng名 míng — Rankings
名 míng名 míng means “place” or “position.” It’s used to express a ranking in Chinese.
第一名第一名
first place
第二名第二名
second place
她是我們班第十名她是我们班第十名
She is tenth in our class.
我哥哥是第一名我哥哥是第一名
My older brother got first place.
4Exceptions: No 第 dì第 dì Needed
Some nouns form ordinals without 第 dì第 dì — the number is used directly.
Dates
一月一號一月一号
January 1st
三日三日
the 3rd (date, written style)
Floors
五樓五楼
the 5th floor
十二樓十二楼
the 12th floor
Did You Notice?
一月 yī yuè一月 yī yuè is the name of a month — January — while 第一個月 dì yī ge yuè第一个月 dì yī ge yuè means “the first month” of something, like your first month in a new job.
5Common Mistakes
❌我喜歡第一書我喜欢第一书
✅我喜歡第一本書我喜欢第一本书
A noun after an ordinal number still needs its measure word.
❌這是第兩個这是第两个
✅這是第二個这是第二个
Ordinal numbers use 二 èr二 èr, not 兩 liǎng两 liǎng.
6Practice
Try saying each sentence in Chinese, then tap to check.
01This is his first time cooking.
這是他第一次做飯这是他第一次做饭
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02I ate beef noodles for the first time today.
我今天第一次吃牛肉麵我今天第一次吃牛肉面
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03He is the first person to come.
他是第一個來的人他是第一个来的人
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04This is my third cup of coffee.
這是我的第三杯咖啡这是我的第三杯咖啡
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05My daughter got second place.
我女兒是第二名我女儿是第二名
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06I like the fourth one.
我喜歡第四個我喜欢第四个
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07My home is on the 6th floor.
我家在六樓我家在六楼
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08Tomorrow is May 1st.
明天是五月一號明天是五月一号
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