初 (chū) means "at first, junior" with 7 strokes, radical 刀 (knife), HSK 3 on the new exam.
Pronunciation
Meaning
Primary: at first
Other meanings:
- junior
Etymology
A knife cuts new cloth — beginning, first
Mnemonic hooks the visual decomposition to a memorable image. The full oracle-bone to modern evolution is being added character-by-character via the Phase 13 etymology pass.
Decomposition
Breaking a character into its components makes it far easier to recall. Each component above links to its own detail page.
Basic info
| Pinyin | chū |
| Meanings | at first, junior |
| Stroke count | 7 strokes |
| Radical | 刀 (#18: knife) |
| New HSK exam | Recognise at HSK 3 |
| Frequency | #219 most common |
Example sentences
最初在这里。
Zuìchū zài zhèlǐ.
First, at the beginning is here.
From 最初 (HSK 5)
她刚报名了初级汉语课程，准备系统学习基础知识。
Tā gāng bàomíng le chūjí Hànyǔ kèchéng, zhǔnbèi xìtǒng xuéxí jīchǔ zhīshi.
She just enrolled in a beginner Chinese course to systematically learn the basics.
From 初级 (HSK 5)
经过初步调查发现了线索。
Jīngguò chūbù diàochá, jǐngfāng fāxiàn le yīxiē zhòngyào xiànsuǒ.
After a preliminary investigation, the police found some important clues.
From 初步 (HSK 6)
Words containing 初
Related characters
On the new HSK 3 exam
Studying for HSK 3? Keep 初 with the rest of your level.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Reviewed by RJ Murray, Founder, HSK Lord.