How to say “begin” in Chinese
begin
“Begin” in Chinese is 开始, kāi shǐ: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.
How to pronounce it
开始 is read kāi shǐ: 2 syllables. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.
How to write it
On the left, 女 “woman”.
Strokes go in order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical. Tap a character to open its page, with the strokes shown large and the words it appears in. To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for “开始”.
Examples
Sentences from the course lessons with 开始. Tap the sound icon to listen.
- 我们开始吧wǒmenkāishǐbaLet's begin.
- 今天的会议几点开始？jīntiāndehuìyìjǐdiǎnkāishǐWhat time does today's meeting start?
- 比赛开始了bǐsàikāishǐleThe match has started!
- 酒店的早餐七点开始。jiǔdiàndezǎocānqīdiǎnkāishǐBreakfast at the hotel starts at seven.
- 电影七点开始，我们赶得上吗？diànyǐngqīdiǎnkāishǐ,wǒmengǎndeshàngmaThe movie starts at seven, will we make it?
- 明天的会议几点开始？míngtiāndehuìyìjǐdiǎnkāishǐWhat time is tomorrow's meeting?
More words from the lesson “Leaving soon”
Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “begin” in Chinese?
“Begin” in Chinese is 开始, pinyin kāishǐ.
What does 开始 mean?
开始 (kāishǐ) means “begin”.
How do you write 开始?
开始 is 2 characters: 开 (kāi) — open; drive; 始 (shǐ) — beginning. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.
How do you pronounce 开始?
开始 is read kāishǐ. Tones: kāi — first tone, shǐ — third tone. The page has a native speaker recording.
“begin” in the lesson “Leaving soon”
This word is from the topic “There and back” of HSK 2. In the lesson you hear it in a dialogue, build a sentence with it and say it out loud. Start for free, no sign-up needed.
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