How to say “primitive” in Chinese
primitive; original
“Primitive” in Chinese is 原始, yuán shǐ: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke.
How to pronounce it
原始 is read yuán 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
A spring beneath a cliff 厂 — the source. It hints at the sound of 愿 yuàn.
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 “原始”.
More words from the lesson “Origins: where it all began”
Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “primitive” in Chinese?
“Primitive” in Chinese is 原始, pinyin yuánshǐ.
What does 原始 mean?
原始 (yuánshǐ) means “primitive; original”.
How do you write 原始?
原始 is 2 characters: 原 (yuán) — original; plain; 始 (shǐ) — beginning. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.
How do you pronounce 原始?
原始 is read yuánshǐ. Tones: yuán — second tone, shǐ — third tone. The page has a native speaker recording.
“primitive” in the lesson “Origins: where it all began”
This word is from the topic “China’s history and traditions” 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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