初 chū — beginning · English

初

chū

beginning

At a glance · 初

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Evolution of the glyph

Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seen
Oracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCE
Seal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCE
Clerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CE
Regular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

「初」从衣从刀，甲骨文象以刀裁衣，金文小篆承之。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

「初」本义为开始、裁衣之始，引申当初、初阶。

Structure

从衣、从刀，会意字，裁衣之始为初，本为开始。

At a glance

Pinyinchū

Radical刀

Strokes8

UnicodeU+521D

Character type会意

Theme动作

Six languages, one character

Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.

English beginning beginning, initial, primary

Français début Début, premier. «笃初诚美» : la première sincérité.

Español inicio Inicio, primero. «笃初诚美»: la primera sinceridad.

العربية بداية بداية، أول. «笃初诚美»: الإخلاص الأول.

Русский начало Начало, первый. «笃初诚美»: первая искренность.

Common words

初步chū bùinitial
最初zuì chūfirst

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