(miǎo) - second (unit of time) in Mandarin
miǎoTraditional: 秒
Translation
second (unit of time)
Word origin
A phono-semantic compound with 禾 (hé, grain) as the semantic element and 少 (shǎo, few, small) suggesting smallness, originally meaning the awn of grain and later borrowed for the smallest common unit of time.
- Origin
- phono-semantic
- Root
- 禾 (hé, grain) + 少 (shǎo, few)
Stroke order
秒
Examples
。
Please wait thirty seconds for me.
百。
He ran a hundred metres in only eleven seconds.
。
There are ten seconds left until midnight.
。
This action lasted only a few seconds.
六。
There are sixty seconds in one minute.
秒 (miǎo) is the measure word for a second of time. It pairs with numbers directly, as in 三十秒 (thirty seconds), and is the smallest everyday unit alongside 分 (minute) and 小时 (hour).
Where this fits
Used in
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秒: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "秒" (second (unit of time)): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 29.