He made it to the third round of selection.
noun-modifying (irregular)
tertiary; third-level
Used in classification terms where English often says 'tertiary,' especially in established compounds such as 三次産業. More technical than simply saying 'the third one.'
Tourism is included in the tertiary sector.
noun-modifying (irregular)
cubic; third-order; third-degree
Mathematical use for degree or order three, as in 三次方程式 'cubic equation' and 三次関数 'cubic function.'
Please solve this cubic equation.
In class, we drew the graph of a cubic function.
第三 is the general ordinal 'third' used before nouns, while 三次 is reserved for stages, rounds, or technical orders such as 三次選考 or 三次方程式.
立方 corresponds to 'cubic' in measurement or volume contexts, whereas 三次 specifically denotes mathematical degree or order three, as in 三次関数.
after-afterparty; third party of the night
the third; tertiary
3D movie
cubic equation
cubic polynomial; third order polynomial
3D printer
Standard kanji spelling for 'third,' 'tertiary,' and mathematical 'cubic/third-order' uses.
Attested form, but in ordinary Japanese ３時 is normally understood as '3 o'clock,' a different meaning not covered by the senses below; 三次 is the clear spelling for this word.
A Sino-Japanese compound of 三 'three' and 次 'order, sequence, next,' giving the sense of 'third' or 'third order.' This is a component explanation, not a claim about the deeper historical origin of the characters.