English–Chinese

“three” in Chinese

Chinese

Pronunciation

Pinyinsān

Example

他买了三个苹果。tā mǎi le sān gè píng guǒ

He bought three apples.

Illustration for 三 (three)

How to say “three” in Chinese

“Three” in Chinese is 三 (sān).

Three parallel strokes turn the idea of a quantity into a visible sign.

Full entry for 三: usage tips, similar words and word origin

Example sentences with 三

现在是三点。xiàn zài shì sān diǎn

It is three o'clock now.

Tips for using 三

  • In Chinese, counting nouns usually requires a measure word after the number, unlike English, where the noun can follow the number directly.

“three” in other languages