始
begin, start
At a glance · 始
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 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
⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.
始字小篆从女台声，为形声字；本义为开端、初。甲骨文未见。
What the sketch shows
Origins & notes
始本义为开始、初始。
Structure
形声字，左部『女』为意符，右部『台』为声符。
At a glance
Pinyinshǐ
Radical女
Strokes8
UnicodeU+59CB
Character type形声
Theme动作
Six languages, one character
Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.
English
begin, start
Shi is a phonetic-semantic character meaning to begin and the beginning.
Français
commencer, début
Shi est un caractère phonético-sémantique signifiant commencer et le début.
Español
empezar, inicio
Shi es un carácter fonosemántico que significa empezar y el inicio.
العربية
يبدأ، بداية
شي حرف صوتي دلالي يعني البدء والبداية.
Русский
начинать, начало
Ши — фоносемантический знак, означающий начинать и начало.
Common words
- 开始kāi shǐbegin
- 原始yuán shǐprimitive