How to say “first” in Chinese

先

xiān

first

adverb · HSK 3 · topic “Seasons and time”

“First” in Chinese is 先, xiān: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.

How to pronounce it

先 is read xiān. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.

xiān — 1st tonehigh and level, like a long note

How to write it

先

xiān — first, before

先生 means “born earlier”: a respectful way to address an elder.

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 “先”.

Examples

Sentences from the course lessons with 先. Tap the sound icon to listen.

我们先吃饭，然后看电影。wǒmenxiānchīfàn,ránhòukàndiànyǐngFirst we'll eat, then we'll watch a movie.
王先生的年龄比你大吗？WángxiānshengdeniánlíngbǐnǐdàmaIs Mr. Wang older than you?
我觉得应该先跟大家商量一下。wǒjuédeyīnggāixiāngēndàjiāshāngliangyíxiàI think we should talk it over with everyone first.
我们先过安检然后登机wǒmenxiānguòānjiǎn,ránhòudēngjīFirst we'll go through security, then we'll board.
先预习，再上课，然后复习。xiānyùxí,zàishàngkè,ránhòufùxíFirst you prepare, then you go to class, then you review.
首先预习课文，然后做练习。shǒuxiānyùxíkèwén,ránhòuzuòliànxíFirst read the text ahead of time, then do the exercises.

More characters by topic — happiness, luck, strength, nature — on the page “Chinese characters with meanings”.

More words from the lesson “Holidays”

Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.

Frequently asked questions

How do you say “first” in Chinese?

“First” in Chinese is 先, pinyin xiān.

What does 先 mean?

先 (xiān) means “first”.

How do you write 先?

先 is 1 character. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.

How do you pronounce 先?

先 is read xiān. Tones: xiān — first tone. The page has a native speaker recording.

“first” in the lesson “Holidays”

This word is from the topic “Seasons and time” of HSK 3. 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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