初 meaning and stroke order
(bound form) at first; initially; (bound form) first; early; (bound form) (in lunar calendar dates, before numerals 1–10) days 1 to 10 of a month, as in 初三[chu1 san1] "the third"
How to write 初, stroke by stroke
7 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 初
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (bound form) at first; initially
- (bound form) first; early
- (bound form) (in lunar calendar dates, before numerals 1–10) days 1 to 10 of a month, as in 初三[chu1 san1] "the third"
How 初 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. Cutting 刀 the cloth 衤 is the first step in making clothes.
Radical: 刀 (knife), shared by 10 characters on this site.
How to remember 初
The left side 衤 is the clothing radical and the right side is a knife 刀 (dāo). Cutting the cloth with a knife is the first step in making clothes, so 初 means the beginning.
初 (chū) rarely stands alone. It appears in words like 最初 (zuìchū, at first), 初中 (chūzhōng, junior high), and 年初 (niánchū, start of the year). Example: 我当初不喜欢他。(Wǒ dāngchū bù xǐhuan tā.) I didn't like him at first.
Common mistake: Learners often write the left part as 礻 (the spirit radical, as in 礼) instead of 衤, which has an extra short stroke. Only 衤, the clothing radical, belongs in 初.
Common words with 初
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 当初 | dāngchū | at that time; originally | HSK 3 |
| 初步 | chūbù | initial; preliminary | HSK 3 |
| 初中 | chūzhōng | junior high school (abbr. for 初級中學|初级中学[chu1 ji2 zhong1 xue2]) | HSK 3 |
| 初级 | chūjí | junior; primary | HSK 3 |
| 年初 | niánchū | beginning of the year | HSK 3 |
| 初一 | chūyī | first year in junior middle school; first day of a lunar month | HSK 3 |
| 最初 | zuìchū | first; primary | HSK 4 |
| 初期 | chūqī | initial stage; beginning period | HSK 5 |
| 初等 | chūděng | elementary (i.e. easy) | HSK 6 |
| 起初 | qǐchū | originally; at first; at the outset | HSK 7-9 |
| 初次 | chūcì | for the first time; first (meeting, attempt etc) | HSK 7-9 |
| 初衷 | chūzhōng | original intention | HSK 7-9 |
| 月初 | yuèchū | start of month; early in the month | HSK 7-9 |
| 初恋 | chūliàn | first love |
初 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 初
How many strokes are in 初?
初 is written with 7 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 初 mean?
初 (chū) means (bound form) at first; initially; (bound form) first; early; (bound form) (in lunar calendar dates, before numerals 1–10) days 1 to 10 of a month, as in 初三[chu1 san1] "the third". A common word with it is 当初 (dāngchū), meaning "at that time; originally".
How do you pronounce 初?
初 is pronounced chū, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 初?
The radical of 初 is 刀, which carries the idea of "knife". Dictionaries list 初 under this radical.
Is 初 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 初 is part of the HSK 3 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 3.
Why do lunar calendar dates use 初, like 初一 and 初三?
For days 1 to 10 of a lunar month, Chinese puts 初 before the number to show it is early in the month. So 初一 (chūyī) is the first day and 初十 (chūshí) is the tenth. After that you just say 十一, 十二, and so on.
What is the difference between 初 and 第一 for saying first?
第一 (dì yī) is the ordinary ordinal number first, as in 第一次 (the first time). 初 is a bound form meaning early or initial, used inside fixed words like 初步 (chūbù, preliminary) or 初期 (chūqī, initial stage). You cannot simply swap one for the other.