Meaning
Ordinal number prefix; order, grade, rank.
- 第一 — first; number one
- 第二 — second
- 第三者 — third party
- 第六感 — sixth sense
- 次第 — order; as soon as; depending on
- 等第 — grade; rank
第 combines the bamboo radical ⺮ (たけかんむり) with the element 弟 as a phonetic. The character marks sequence or rank, which is why it’s placed before numerals to form ordinals like 第一 and 第二.
第一回の会議が始まります。
The first meeting is starting.
彼は全国大会で第三位でした。
He placed third at the national tournament.
The on-yomi ダイ is standard (第一, 第二). テイ and タイ appear in limited compounds. There is no commonly used kun-yomi.