初(chū)

HSK 37 strokes

at first

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Stroke order animation

Character information

Pinyin
chū
Meaning
at first; (at the) beginning; first; junior; basic
Strokes
7
HSK level
HSK 3
Traditional
Same

Origin & structure

Where 初 comes from and how its parts fit together.

Ideograph⿰衤刀

Cutting 刀 the cloth 衤 is the first step in making clothes

A combination of parts whose meanings add up to the whole.

Made of

衤yī刀dāo

Parts are arranged left to right.

How to write 初 step by step

7 strokes — each frame adds one stroke, shown in dark ink over the lighter ones.

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7

Words with 初

Common words using 初 — tap any character to open its stroke-order page.

chū初zhōng中
HSK 3

junior high school (abbr. for 初级中学)

Open 初中 page →
chū初bù步
HSK 3

initial

Open 初步 page →
chū初qī期
HSK 5

initial stage

Open 初期 page →
chū初cì次
HSK 7-9

for the first time

Open 初次 page →
chū初yī一

first day of lunar month; New Year's Day; first year in junior middle school

Open 初一 page →
chū初sān三

third year in junior middle school

Open 初三 page →
chū初zhōng中shēng生

junior high student

Open 初中生 page →
chū初èr二

second year in junior middle school

Open 初二 page →

Related characters

More HSK 3 characters

专世丰丽义乡乱争

From 初’s common words

中步期次一三生二

Ready to master 初?

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