漢字Kanji · in Tools & Weapons
初: first time, beginning
JLPT N37 strokesGrade 4Your ink: 白 Not met
衤 and 刀 carry the meaning
7 strokes
Seven readings, and the words that use each
ショsho · on'yomi · in compounds
- 最初さいしょbeginning
- 初日しょにちfirst day
- 初対面しょたいめんfirst meeting
- 初級しょきゅうelementary level
- 初心者しょしんしゃbeginner
- 初期しょきearly (days)
はじめhajime · kun'yomi · on its own
- 初めにはじめにfirst of all
はじめてhajimete · kun'yomi
- 初めてはじめてfor the first time
はつhatsu · kun'yomi
- 初恋はつこいfirst love
うい-ui- · kun'yomi
- 初々しいういういしいinnocent
-そめる-someru · kun'yomi
- なれ初めなれそめstart of a romance
-ぞめ-zome · kun'yomi
- 書き初めかきぞめNew Year's writing
Also read はつ-, with no example words in our sources. Words: Kanji alive, CC BY 4.0.
成り立ち
Where it comes from
Origin · sourced
Ideogrammic compound (會意)衣 clothes, as 衤 + 刀 knife; to cut
Start making clothes by cutting the cloth.
Source: Wiktionary, 初 (rev. 92199988), CC BY-SA 4.0
Memory story · made up to help you remember
“Clothing (衣) + sword radical = the very first cut of the blade into cloth during the creation of a new garment.”
繋がり
Connections
Ink shades, lightest to darkest: 白 Not met, 淡 Met, 中 Learning, 濃 Familiar, 印 Mastered
In ChineseSame character in simplified and traditional · chū
Same form: 初 is written the same way in mainland China (simplified) and in Taiwan and Hong Kong (traditional).
- Simplified
- 初 mainland China, Singapore
- Traditional
- 初 Taiwan, Hong Kong
Pinyin chū most common reading
Forms and pinyin: Unicode Unihan database (Unicode License v3). Pinyin lists the most common reading, not every reading.
One click tells us. No sign-up.