Like 一 and 二, the character 三 is an ideograph and easy to remember: three horizontal strokes to represent the number “Three”.
In Chinese culture, 三 is considered lucky because it is pronounced similar to 生 (shēng) "Birth" and 升 (shēng) "To Rise, Go Up". It is also an important number in Buddhism, representing the Buddha, Dharma and Bonze. People toll the bell three times to worship Buddha and pray for the removal of calamities with 3 sticks of incense.