HSK 1
1 (yāo)
1 (yāo)
(1 in telephony)
Structure
1 → yāo (in sequences)
How it works
In Chinese, the number 1 is usually pronounced as 'yī'. However, when reciting strings of numbers such as phone numbers, room numbers, or bus routes, it is often pronounced as 'yāo' to avoid confusion with the number 7 (qī), which sounds similar.
Examples
我的房间号是一零一。
Wǒ de fángjiānhào shì yāo líng yāo.
My room number is 101.
我的电话是幺三八……
Wǒ de diànhuà shì yāo sān bā...
My phone number is 138...
请在这儿写幺。
Qǐng zài zhè'er xiě yāo.
Please write 'one' here (when dictating a code).
Common mistakes
Mixing 'yī' and 'yāo' within the same phone number; usually, speakers stick to 'yāo' for all ones in a sequence.
Tip
Think of 'yāo' as a specialized 'one' used only for identification numbers, never for counting quantities (like 'one book').
More HSK 1 grammar
See 1 (yāo) in real Chinese
Import an article and tap any sentence using it. The explanation comes back about the sentence in front of you, not a textbook example.
Try InputDojo free