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一yīone

HSK 1word

By Chinese Copilot · Last updated

一 (yī) means "one," "single," or "a." Before a measure word and a noun it counts one of that thing, as in 一个人 "one person." It is the basic numeral one, and can also mean a single item or the indefinite sense of English "a."

What does 一 mean?

  1. 1.

    onenumeral

  2. 2.

    single; a (article)numeral

What does the character 一 mean?

  • 一one

How do you use 一?

Grammar patterns

  1. 1

    一 + Measure Word + Noun

    To count one of something, put 一 before a measure word, then the noun. 个 is the general measure word for many nouns.

一 usually needs a measure word before a noun. Tone sandhi changes how it sounds in speech: yí before a fourth-tone syllable (一个人), yì before first/second/third-tone syllables (一本书), while citation form stays yī.

Patterns

  • 一 + 个 + Noun

    我认识一个老师。

    Wǒ rènshi yí gè lǎoshī.

    I know a teacher.

  • 一 + 本 + 书

    请给我一本书。

    Qǐng gěi wǒ yì běn shū.

    Please give me a book.

What are some examples of 一 in a sentence?

  1. HSK 1

    这里有一个人。

    Zhèlǐ yǒu yí gè rén.

    There is one person here.

  2. HSK 1

    我有一本书。

    Wǒ yǒu yì běn shū.

    I have one book.

  3. HSK 1

    他买了一个手机。

    Tā mǎi le yí gè shǒujī.

    He bought a phone.

  4. HSK 1

    我家有一个孩子。

    Wǒ jiā yǒu yí gè háizi.

    My family has one child.

How is 一 used in a conversation?

  1. Speaker A:

    你家有几个孩子？

    Nǐ jiā yǒu jǐ gè háizi?

    How many children does your family have?

  2. Speaker B:

    我家有一个孩子。

    Wǒ jiā yǒu yí gè háizi.

    My family has one child.

  3. Speaker A:

    你有几本书？

    Nǐ yǒu jǐ běn shū?

    How many books do you have?

  4. Speaker B:

    我有一本书。

    Wǒ yǒu yì běn shū.

    I have one book.

  5. Speaker A:

    这里有几个人？

    Zhèlǐ yǒu jǐ gè rén?

    How many people are here?

  6. Speaker B:

    这里有一个人。

    Zhèlǐ yǒu yí gè rén.

    There is one person here.

Can you use 一 correctly?

0 of 3 answered
  1. 1.Fill in the blank: 这里有___个人。
  2. 2.Which pattern correctly counts one book?
  3. 3.Fill in the blank: 他买了___个手机。

What should you learn next?

Related words

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English glosses on this page are adapted from CC-CEDICT, published by MDBG (snapshot 2026-10-23), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Glosses were edited for learners.