最 meaning in English
(before an adjective or verb) to the highest degree; (the) most ...; -est; (after 之[zhi1]) best or most extreme example (e.g. 世界之最[shi4 jie4 zhi1 zui4] "the greatest in the world")
Meaning of 最
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- (before an adjective or verb) to the highest degree; (the) most ...; -est
- (after 之[zhi1]) best or most extreme example (e.g. 世界之最[shi4 jie4 zhi1 zui4] "the greatest in the world")
- variant of 最[zui4]
- old variant of 最[zui4]
How to use 最
最 (zuì) goes directly before an adjective or verb to mean "the most" or "-est," with no 的 needed in between. Example: 他是我最好的朋友。(Tā shì wǒ zuì hǎo de péngyou.) He is my best friend. It also appears in many common words like 最近 (zuìjìn, recently) and 最后 (zuìhòu, finally).
Look at the top part 曰 and the bottom part 取 (qǔ, to take). Picture someone who takes the very top prize, the one that is the most of all.
Common mistake: Learners often write the top as 日 or the bottom as 耳 alone. The top is the flat 曰 and the bottom is 取, which has 又 on the right. Another trap is adding 很 (hěn) together with 最, as in 很最好, which is wrong because 最 already marks the highest degree.
最 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
最 zuì · to the highest degree · 12 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 最.
| 最好 | zuìhǎo | best; had better ...; it would be best to ... |
| 最后 | zuìhòu | final; last; ultimate; finally; in the end |
| 最近 | zuìjìn | recently; soon |
| 最初 | zuìchū | first; primary |
| 最终 | zuìzhōng | final; ultimate |
| 最佳 | zuìjiā | optimum; optimal |
| 最高 | zuìgāo | tallest; highest |
| 最新 | zuìxīn | latest; newest |
| 最多 | zuìduō | at most; maximum |
| 最少 | zuìshǎo | at least; minimum |
| 最先 | zuìxiān | (the) very first |
| 最为 | zuìwéi | the most |
Questions about 最
What does 最 mean?
最 (zuì) means "(before an adjective or verb) to the highest degree; (the) most ...; -est; (after 之[zhi1]) best or most extreme example (e.g. 世界之最[shi4 jie4 zhi1 zui4] "the greatest in the world")" and is used as a adverb.
How do you write 最?
最 is made of 1 character: 最 (12 strokes). That is 12 strokes in total.
Is 最 an HSK word?
Yes. 最 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 最 and 更?
更 (gèng) means "more" and compares two things, like 这个更好 (this one is better). 最 (zuì) means "the most" out of a whole group, like 这个最好 (this one is the best).
Does 最好 only mean "best"?
No. 最好 (zuìhǎo) can also mean "had better" or "it would be best to" when it comes before a verb. For example, 你最好早点睡 (Nǐ zuìhǎo zǎo diǎn shuì) means "You had better go to bed early."