(sì) - four in Mandarin
sìTraditional: 四
Translation
four
Word origin
Originally written as four horizontal strokes, the character was later replaced by the present form, which is now used purely as the numeral four.
- Origin
- ideograph
- Root
- 四 (sì, originally four strokes)
Stroke order
四
Examples
口。
There are four people in my family.
。
It is four o'clock in the afternoon.
扇。
This room has four windows.
。
He works on the fourth floor.
季。
There are four seasons in a year.
四 (sì) is the number four. Because it sounds similar to 死 (sǐ, death), it is considered unlucky in much of Chinese culture.
Where this fits
Used in
Grammar articles
(5)Mandarin Four-Character Idioms (四字格): The Shape, Not the List
Mandarin Numbers, Time, Dates, and Currency: From 1 to 1,000,000, the 二/两 Split, and Time-Before-Verb
Mandarin 性 (xìng) and 化 (huà): Building Abstract Nouns and '-ise' Verbs
The Mandarin 于 (yú) Family: 对于, 关于, 由于, 至于, 属于, 位于, 终于
Mandarin 之 (zhī): 之一, 之间, 之后, 之中, 总之 and the Written Ancestor of 的
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四: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "四" (four): 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 31.