How to say “at first” in Chinese
at first
“At first” in Chinese is 最初, zuì chū: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.
How to pronounce it
最初 is read zuì 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, 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 “最初”.
Examples
Sentences from the course lessons with 最初. Tap the sound icon to listen.
- 最初我不太习惯后来就好了zuìchūwǒbútàixíguàn,hòuláijiùhǎoleAt first I wasn't really used to it, but later it was fine.
More words from the lesson “Once, in the past”
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 最初, pinyin zuìchū.
What does 最初 mean?
最初 (zuìchū) means “at first”.
How do you write 最初?
最初 is 2 characters: 最 (zuì) — most; 初 (chū) — beginning, first. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.
How do you pronounce 最初?
最初 is read zuìchū. Tones: zuì — fourth tone, chū — first tone. The page has a native speaker recording.
“at first” in the lesson “Once, in the past”
This word is from the topic “Time: when and how long” of HSK 5. 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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