Dictionary › 初

初

chū

HSK 5 Character

What 初 means

1. bound format first; initially
2. bound formfirst; early
3. bound form(in lunar calendar dates, before numerals 1–10) days 1 to 10 of a month, as in {初三|chū sān} "the third"

Example sentences

• 初次见面。
  How do you do?
• 她大病初愈。
  Tā dàbìng chū yù.
  She recovered from her long illness.
• 她是我的初恋。
  Tā shì wǒ de chūliàn.
  She is my first love.
• 这是我的初恋。
  Zhè shì wǒ de chūliàn.
  This is my first love.
• 这不是我的初衷。
  Zhè bù shì wǒ de chūzhōng.
  That wasn't my intent.
• 我不是个初中生。
  Wǒ bù shì gè chūzhōngshēng.
  I'm not a junior high school student.

Words starting with 初

• 初级chū jíjunior; primary
• 初步chū bùinitial; preliminary; tentative
• 初中chū zhōngjunior high school (abbr. for 初级中学
• 初期chū qīinitial stage; beginning period
• 初恋chū liànfirst love
• 初次chū cìfor the first time; first (meeting, attempt etc)
• 初一chū yīfirst year in junior middle school; first day of a lunar month
• 初三chū sānthird year in junior middle school; third day of a lunar month
• 初二chū èrsecond year in junior middle school; second day of a lunar month
• 初衷chū zhōngoriginal intention
• 初始chū shǐinitial; starting (point)
• 初学者chū xué zhěbeginning student
• 初中生chū zhōng shēngjunior high student
• 初夏chū xiàearly summer
• 初试chū shìpreliminary exam; qualifying exam; first try
• 初年chū niánearly years
• 初稿chū gǎofirst draft (of writing)
• 初冬chū dōngearly winter
• 初秋chū qiūearly autumn; 7th month of the lunar calendar
• 初来乍到chū lái zhà dàoto be a newcomer; just off the boat
• 初夜chū yèearly evening; wedding night; (fig.) first sexual encounter
• 初生chū shēngnewborn; nascent; primary (biology)
• 初探chū tànto conduct an exploratory foray into (an area of study, a market etc); a preliminary study
• 初审chū shěnpreliminary trial

Words containing 初

• 最初zuì chūfirst; primary; initial
• 当初dāng chūat that time; originally
• 起初qǐ chūoriginally; at first; at the outset
• 年初nián chūbeginning of the year
• 月初yuè chūstart of month; early in the month
• 如初rú chūas before; as ever
• 大年初一dà nián chū yīLunar New Year's Day
• 情窦初开qíng dòu chū kāifirst awakening of love (usually of a girl) (idiom)
• 原初yuán chūinitial; original; originally
• 太初tài chūthe absolute beginning
• 往初wǎng chū(literary) former times; in olden days
• 明初Míng chūthe early Ming (i.e. from second half of 14th century)
• 开初kāi chūat the outset; at first; early
• 年代初nián dài chūbeginning of an age; beginning of a decade
• 和好如初hé hǎo rú chūto bury the hatchet; to become reconciled
• 完好如初wán hǎo rú chūintact; untouched; as good as before
• 小升初xiǎo shēng chūprogression from elementary school to junior high (abbr. for 小学生升入初中生
• 本初子午线běn chū zǐ wǔ xiànthe first meridian; the prime meridian
• 岁初suì chū(literary) beginning of the year
• 张静初Zhāng Jìng chūZhang Jingchu (1980-), PRC actress
• 华灯初上huá dēng chū shàngearly evening when lanterns are first lit
• 清末民初Qīng mò Mín chūlate Qing and early Republican China
• 凌蒙初Líng Méng chūLing Mengchu (1580–1644), Ming dynasty short story writer and playwright
• 悔不当初huǐ bù dāng chūto regret one's past deeds (idiom)

Characters built on 衤

These share the phonetic component 衤 (yī), which is why their readings rhyme. Learning them as a family is far cheaper than learning them one at a time.

• 补bǔto repair; to patch; to mend
• 裤kùunderpants; trousers; pants
• 裕yùabundant
• 褥rùmattress
• 袱fú(bound form) a cloth used to wrap or cover
• 褛lǚused in 褴褛
• 裾jūgarment
• 褚zhǔpadding (in garment); to store up; pocket

Characters that look like 初

Easy to confuse on sight. Compare them side by side once and the pair stops costing you.

• 拍pāito pat; to clap; to slap
• 抽chōuto draw out; to pull out from in between; to remove part of the whole…
• 扫sǎoto sweep (with a brush or broom); to sweep away; to wipe out; to get rid of…
• 劫jiéto rob; to plunder; to seize by force
• 拗ào(bound form) intractable; contrary; disobedient
• 佃diànto rent farmland from a landlord

Sounds the same

Read chū, tone for tone, but written differently.

• 出to go out; to come out; to arise; to occur; to produce; to yield
• 樗simaroubaceae
• 䢺(used in place names)
• 䝙(archaic) animal resembling a tiger
• 岀old variant of 出