初
初 — First time
first time, beginning
On’yomiショ (sho)
Kun’yomiはじめ (hajime)
Kun’yomiはじめて (hajimete)
Kun’yomiはつ (hatsu)
Kun’yomiはつ- (hatsu)
Kun’yomiうい- (ui)
Stroke order (7 strokes)
Watch the strokes draw themselves in the correct order — numbers mark where each stroke starts. Diagram from KanjiVG (CC BY-SA).
Common words using 初
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 最初 | さいしょ saisho | beginning; outset; first |
| 初 | はつ hatsu | first; new |
| 当初 | とうしょ tousho | beginning; start; outset |
| 初日 | しょにち shonichi | first day; opening day |
| 初期 | しょき shoki | early days; early years; early stages |
| 初代 | しょだい shodai | first generation; founder |
Study notes
初 is a JLPT N3 kanji written with 7 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 4), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #152 of the 2,500 most frequent kanji in newspapers. On’yomi (音読み) are Chinese-derived readings mostly used in compound words; kun’yomi (訓読み) are native Japanese readings, with any highlighted part written in hiragana after the kanji (okurigana).
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