Meaning of 最初
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- first
- primary
- initial
- original
- at first
- initially
- originally
How to use 最初
最初 describes the earliest stage of something, often to contrast how things were at first with how they are now. It can stand at the start of a sentence or come before a noun with 的. Example: 我最初不喜欢中国菜。(Wǒ zuìchū bù xǐhuan Zhōngguó cài.) At first I didn't like Chinese food.
最 (zuì) means "most" and 初 (chū) means "beginning," so 最初 is "the most beginning," the very first point of something. Think of it as the opposite of 最后 (zuìhòu), "the most after," or the very end.
Common mistake: Learners often write 初 with the 衤 (clothing) radical wrong, using 礻 instead. 初 has 衤 with two dots plus 刀 (dāo), because cutting cloth is the first step of making clothes. Another trap is using 最初 for "first" in a numbered list, where 第一 (dì yī) or 首先 (shǒuxiān) is correct.
最初 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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- 9
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- 12
初 chū · at first · 7 strokes
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- 7
Related words
Words that share a character with 最初.
| 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 |
| 当初 | dāngchū | at that time; originally |
| 初步 | chūbù | initial; preliminary |
| 初中 | chūzhōng | junior high school (abbr. for 初級中學|初级中学[chu1 ji2 zhong1 xue2]) |
| 初级 | chūjí | junior; primary |
| 年初 | niánchū | beginning of the year |
| 初一 | chūyī | first year in junior middle school; first day of a lunar month |
| 初期 | chūqī | initial stage; beginning period |
| 最终 | zuìzhōng | final; ultimate |
| 最佳 | zuìjiā | optimum; optimal |
Questions about 最初
What does 最初 mean?
最初 (zuìchū) means "first; primary" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 最初?
最初 is made of 2 characters: 最 (12 strokes), 初 (7 strokes). That is 19 strokes in total.
Is 最初 an HSK word?
Yes. 最初 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 最初 and 当初?
最初 simply means the earliest stage. 当初 (dāngchū) points back to a specific past time, often with regret or comparison, as in 早知道当初就不去了 ("If I had known, I wouldn't have gone back then").
Can I use 最初 and 开始 the same way?
Both can mean "at first," and 开始的时候 is very close to 最初 in speech. However, 开始 is also a verb meaning "to start," while 最初 cannot be used as a verb.