初

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初 U+521D, 初
CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-521D
← 刜
[U+521C] 		CJK Unified Ideographs 刞 →
[U+521E]

Translingual[edit]

Stroke order
7 strokes

Han character[edit]

初 (Kangxi radical 18, 刀+5, 7 strokes, cangjie input 中尸竹 (LSH), four-corner 37220, composition ⿰衤刀)

Derived characters[edit]

References[edit]

  • KangXi: page 137, character 33
  • Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 1911
  • Dae Jaweon: page 310, character 1
  • Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 327, character 22
  • Unihan data for U+521D

Chinese[edit]

simp. and trad.
 初
alternative forms
 
𥘉
𥝢
𠜆
𫢈
𢀯
𥘉
𥝢
𠜆
𫢈
𢀯
𢀰
𡔈
䥚
𠫎
𣦂

Glyph origin[edit]

Historical forms of the character 初
Shang Western Zhou Warring States Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han) Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Oracle bone script Bronze inscriptions Chu slip and silk script Small seal script Transcribed ancient scripts

Ideogrammic compound (會意): 衤 (“clothes”) + 刀 (“knife; to cut”) – start making clothes by cutting the cloth.

The various 𢀰-shaped glyphs are or are evolved from Zetian characters.

Pronunciation[edit]

Note:
  • chhoe/chhe - vernacular;
  • chho͘ - literary.
Note:
  • ciu1 - only when referring to days 1-10 of the month in the Chinese calendar;
  • co1 - all other senses.
  • Wu
    • Rime
    Character 初
    Reading # 1/1
    Initial (聲) 初 (19)
    Final (韻) 魚 (22)
    Tone (調) Level (Ø)
    Openness (開合) Open
    Division (等) III
    Fanqie 楚居切
    Baxter tsrhjo
    Reconstructions
    Zhengzhang
    Shangfang         		/t͡ʃʰɨʌ/
    Pan
    Wuyun         		/ʈ͡ʂʰiɔ/
    Shao
    Rongfen         		/t͡ʃʰiɔ/
    Edwin
    Pulleyblank         		/ʈ͡ʂʰɨə̆/
    Li
    Rong         		/t͡ʃʰiɔ/
    Wang
    Li         		/t͡ʃʰĭo/
    Bernard
    Karlgren         		/ʈ͡ʂʰi̯wo/
    Expected
    Mandarin
    Reflex         		chū
    Expected
    Cantonese
    Reflex         		co1
    Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
    Character 初
    Reading # 1/1
    Modern
    Beijing
    (Pinyin)         		chū
    Middle
    Chinese         		‹ tsrhjo ›
    Old
    Chinese         		/*[ts]ʰra/
    English beginning

    Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system:

    * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence;
    * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p;
    * Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix;
    * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary;

    * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.
    Zhengzhang system (2003)
    Character 初
    Reading # 1/1
    No. 1589
    Phonetic
    component         		初
    Rime
    group         		魚
    Rime
    subdivision         		0
    Corresponding
    MC rime         		初
    Old
    Chinese         		/*sʰra/

    Definitions[edit]

    初

    1. initial; inceptive
      初夏  ―  chūxià  ―  early summer
    2. first
      初雪  ―  chūxuě  ―  first snow
      初戀／初恋  ―  chūliàn  ―  first love
    3. prefix of dates from 1st to 10th in the Chinese calendar
      初三  ―  chūsān  ―  third day of a lunar month
    4. original
      初衷  ―  chūzhōng  ―  one’s initial intention; original idea
    5. elementary; basic
      初級／初级  ―  chūjí  ―  elementary
    6. beginning; start
      四月初  ―  sìyuè chū  ―  early April
      民初  ―  mínchū  ―  beginning of the Republic of China era
    7. just
      初出茅廬／初出茅庐  ―  chūchūmáolú  ―  to have just begun one's career without any experience (literally, “to have just come out of one's thatched cottage”)
      如夢初醒／如梦初醒  ―  rúmèngchūxǐng  ―  to suddenly realize; to wake up to reality (literally, “as if one has just waken up from a dream”)

    Compounds[edit]

    Derived terms from 初

    References[edit]

    Japanese[edit]

    Kanji[edit]

    初

    (grade 4 “Kyōiku” kanji)

    Readings[edit]

    Compounds[edit]

    Etymology 1[edit]

    Kanji in this term
    初
    はつ
    Grade: 4
    kun’yomi

    ⟨patu⟩ → /ɸat͡su/ → /hat͡su/

    From Old Japanese.

    Possible cognates include 始め (hajime, “beginning”) and 端 (ha, “edge of something”).

    Pronunciation[edit]

    Prefix[edit]

    初(はつ) • (hatsu-) 

    1. the first..., initial..., new...
    Derived terms[edit]
    Derived terms

    Noun[edit]

    初(はつ) • (hatsu) 

    1. a first, start, a beginning
      今年(ことし)初(はつ)のコンサート ― kotoshi hatsu no konsāto ― the first concert of this year
      Antonym: 末 (sue)
    2. (slang) first sexual relations, one's first time
    Derived terms[edit]
    Derived terms

    Etymology 2[edit]

    Kanji in this term
    初
    うい
    Grade: 4
    kun’yomi

    /uɸi/ → /uwi/ → /ui/

    First attested in the Kokin Wakashū of roughly 905-914 CE,[2] and assumed to be inherited from Old Japanese.

    There is an apparently related term 初 (ubu) of overlapping synonymous meaning, first attested in the early 1000s. It is unclear how these two terms are related: one might be a derivation of the other, or the two might derive separately via other processes.

    Both ui and ubu appear to be related to verb 生む (umu, “to birth”), from the sense of "first of something since one has been born".

    Martin suggests that this might be a fusion of 生む (umu, “to birth”) +‎ 日 (hi, “day”), literally “birthday”.[3] However, the meaning of any such compound would be the noun birthday with a sense of "the day a woman gives birth" rather than "the day someone is born". Also, phonologically, this would be expected to result in ubi: /umu/ + /pi/ → /umupi/ → /umpi/ → /ubi/.

    Possibly cognate with 上 (ue, “above”, possibly via the sense of "upstream → earlier") or classical verb 生ふ (ancient opu, classical ofu, modern ou, “to grow”).

    Pronunciation[edit]

    Noun[edit]

    初(うい) • (ui) ←うひ (ufi)?

    1. [from early 900s] a first, start
    Derived terms[edit]

    Prefix[edit]

    初(うい) • (ui-) ←うひ (ufi)?

    1. [from early 900s] the first of something
    Derived terms[edit]
    Derived terms

    Etymology 3[edit]

    Kanji in this term
    初
    うぶ
    Grade: 4
    kun’yomi
    Alternative spelling
    初心

    From stem up- cognate with ui (historical uhi) above. Cause of the shift in voicing is uncertain. (Can this(+) etymology be sourced?)

    Pronunciation[edit]

    Adjective[edit]

    初(うぶ) • (ubu) -na (adnominal 初(うぶ)な (ubu na), adverbial 初(うぶ)に (ubu ni))

    1. innocent
    2. inexperienced, green
    Inflection[edit]
    Inflection of 初
    Stem forms
    Imperfective (未然形) 初だろ うぶだろ ubu daro
    Continuative (連用形) 初で うぶで ubu de
    Terminal (終止形) 初だ うぶだ ubu da
    Attributive (連体形) 初な うぶな ubu na
    Hypothetical (仮定形) 初なら うぶなら ubu nara
    Imperative (命令形) 初であれ うぶであれ ubu de are
    Key constructions
    Informal negative 初ではない
    初じゃない         		うぶではない
    うぶじゃない         		ubu de wa nai
    ubu ja nai
    Informal past 初だった うぶだった ubu datta
    Informal negative past 初ではなかった
    初じゃなかった         		うぶではなかった
    うぶじゃなかった         		ubu de wa nakatta
    ubu ja nakatta
    Formal 初です うぶです ubu desu
    Formal negative 初ではありません
    初じゃありません         		うぶではありません
    うぶじゃありません         		ubu de wa arimasen
    ubu ja arimasen
    Formal past 初でした うぶでした ubu deshita
    Formal negative past 初ではありませんでした
    初じゃありませんでした         		うぶではありませんでした
    うぶじゃありませんでした         		ubu de wa arimasen deshita
    ubu ja arimasen deshita
    Conjunctive 初で うぶで ubu de
    Conditional 初なら（ば） うぶなら（ば） ubu nara (ba)
    Provisional 初だったら うぶだったら ubu dattara
    Volitional 初だろう うぶだろう ubu darō
    Adverbial 初に うぶに ubu ni
    Degree 初さ うぶさ ubusa
    Derived terms[edit]

    Etymology 4[edit]

    Kanji in this term
    初
    しょ
    Grade: 4
    kan’on

    From Middle Chinese 初 (MC t͡ʃʰɨʌ).

    Compare Min Nan 初 (chho͘).

    Affix[edit]

    初(しょ) • (sho) 

    1. beginning, start
    2. first, initial
    Derived terms[edit]
    Derived terms

    Etymology 5[edit]

    Kanji in this term
    初
    そ(め) > ぞ(め)
    Grade: 4
    kun’yomi
    For pronunciation and definitions of 初 – see the following entry.
    【初ぞめ】
    [suffix] for the first time, typically in the current year
    (This term, 初, is an alternative spelling (uncommon) of the above term.)

    Etymology 6[edit]

    Kanji in this term
    初
    はじ(め)
    Grade: 4
    kun’yomi

    Nominalization of 始め (hajime, “beginning, first”).

    Proper noun[edit]

    初(はじめ) • (Hajime) 

    1. a male given name

    References[edit]

    1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
    2. ^ “初”, in 日本国語大辞典 (Nihon Kokugo Daijiten, “Nihon Kokugo Daijiten”)‎[1] (in Japanese), 2nd edition, Tōkyō: Shogakukan, 2000, →ISBN
    3. ^ Martin, Samuel E. (1987) The Japanese Language Through Time, New Haven, London: Yale University Press, →ISBN

    Korean[edit]

    Hanja[edit]

    初 (eumhun 처음 초 (cheo'eum cho))

    1. Hanja form? of 초 (“beginning; start”).

    Compounds[edit]

    Okinawan[edit]

    Kanji[edit]

    初

    (grade 4 “Kyōiku” kanji)

    Readings[edit]

    Etymology[edit]

    From Proto-Ryukyuan *patu.

    Cognate with Japanese 初 (hatsu-).

    Pronunciation[edit]

    Prefix[edit]

    初(はち) (hachi-) 

    1. the first..., initial..., new...

    Derived terms[edit]

    Derived terms

    Old Japanese[edit]

    Etymology[edit]

    From Proto-Japonic *patu.

    Possible cognates include 始め (pazime, “beginning”), 僅か (patuka, “faint”), and 端 (pa, “edge of something”).

    Prefix[edit]

    初 (patu-) (kana はつ)

    1. the first..., initial..., new...

    Derived terms[edit]

    Derived terms

    Descendants[edit]

    • Japanese: 初 (hatsu-)

    Vietnamese[edit]

    Han character[edit]

    初: Hán Việt readings: sơ (楚(sở)徂(tồ)切(thiết))[1][2][3]
    初: Nôm readings: xưa[1][2][3][4][5], sơ[1][2][3][5], xơ[1][2][3], thơ[1][3][4], sờ[1]

    1. chữ Hán form of sơ (“in the initial stage; primary; elementary”).
    2. Nôm form of xưa (“old; ancient; a long time ago”).

    Compounds[edit]

    References[edit]

    1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Nguyễn (2014).
    2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Nguyễn et al. (2009).
    3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Trần (2004).
    4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Hồ (1976).
    5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Taberd & Pigneau de Béhaine (1838).
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