jiǔ

nine

Type: NumbersHSK 1
Character origin

A pictograph of a bent arm. Some scholars think it stood for nine because of the elbow's shape.

Did you know?

Nine is associated with longevity because it sounds like '久' (a long time). That's why the emperor wore nine dragons on his robes. Nine is also the highest digit before returning to ten — a symbol of completeness.

Example sentence

九元钱。

Jiǔ yuán qián.

Nine yuan.

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