How to say “at first” in Chinese
at first, initially
“At first” in Chinese is 起初, qǐ chū: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.
How to pronounce it
起初 is read qǐ chū: 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, 走 “walk”.
On the left, 衤 “clothing”; on the right, 刀 “knife”: sewing starts with cutting.
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 “起初”.
Examples
Sentences from the course lessons with 起初. Tap the sound icon to listen.
- 起初我不习惯这里的气候，后来渐渐适应了。qǐchūwǒbùxíguànzhèlǐdeqìhòu,hòuláijiànjiànshìyìngleAt first I couldn't get used to the climate here, but later I gradually adapted.
- 起初他并不同意qǐchūtābìngbùtóngyìAt first he didn't agree at all.
More words from the lesson “At first and in past years”
Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “at first” in Chinese?
“At first” in Chinese is 起初, pinyin qǐchū.
What does 起初 mean?
起初 (qǐchū) means “at first, initially”.
How do you write 起初?
起初 is 2 characters: 起 (qǐ) — rise, get up; 初 (chū) — beginning, first. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.
How do you pronounce 起初?
起初 is read qǐchū. Tones: qǐ — third tone, chū — first tone. The page has a native speaker recording.
“at first” in the lesson “At first and in past years”
This word is from the topic “Time and deadlines” of HSK 6. 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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