第
Meaning
- (prefix indicating ordinal number, as in 第六 "sixth")
- (literary) grades in which successful candidates in the imperial examinations were placed
- (old) residence of a high official
Example sentence
生活第一！
Life first!
The character 第
第 turns a number into an ordinal, and nothing else does that job. 三课 is three lessons and 第三课 is lesson three; 第一 and 第二 order anything, including 第一次, the first time.