Writing
起初 (qǐ chū) — how to say "at first" in Chinese
起初
At first, initially
noun
Character composition
起
to rise, to start
初
initial, first
Radicals / Keys
刀
Knife
#18 · dāo · 2 strokes
走
Run
#156 · zǒu · 7 strokes
Synonyms
Collocations
起初的打算
qǐ chū de dǎ suàn
original plan
Examples
起初这个计划很简单，后来变得很复杂。
At first, this plan was simple, but later it became very complicated.
起初我不明白。
At first, I didn't understand.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say "at first" in Chinese?
"at first" in Chinese is 起初 (qǐ chū).
起初 meaning in English
起初 (qǐ chū) means "At first, initially".
How is 起初 pronounced?
It is pronounced qǐ chū (written as qi chu, qichu). You can listen to the pronunciation on this page.
How do you write "at first" in Chinese characters?
It is written 起初: 起 has 10 strokes, 初 has 7 strokes. The Writing section above animates the stroke order of each character and lets you trace it.
What HSK level is 起初?
起初 belongs to the HSK 6 vocabulary list.
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