最初

Chinese

		(the) most; ‑est	initial; first; beginning initial; first; beginning; junior; basic
trad. (最初)		最	初
simp. ^#(最初)		最	初

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): zuìchū

(Zhuyin): ㄗㄨㄟˋ ㄔㄨ
Cantonese (Jyutping): zeoi³ co¹
Hakka (Sixian, PFS): chui-chhû
Southern Min
(Hokkien, POJ): chòe-chho͘ / chòe-che

(Teochew, Peng'im): zuê³ co¹

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: zuìchū
  - Zhuyin: ㄗㄨㄟˋ ㄔㄨ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: zuèichu
  - Wade–Giles: tsui⁴-chʻu¹
  - Yale: dzwèi-chū
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: tzueychu
  - Palladius: цзуйчу (czujču)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡su̯eɪ̯⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂʰu⁵⁵/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: zeoi³ co¹
  - Yale: jeui chō
  - Cantonese Pinyin: dzoey³ tso¹
  - Guangdong Romanization: zêu³ co¹
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sɵy̯³³ t͡sʰɔː⁵⁵/
Hakka
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: chui-chhû
  - Hakka Romanization System: zui cu^ˊ
  - Hagfa Pinyim: zui⁴ cu¹
  - Sinological IPA: /t͡su̯i⁵⁵ t͡sʰu²⁴/
Southern Min
- (Hokkien: Quanzhou, General Taiwanese, Xiamen)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chòe-chho͘
  - Tâi-lô: tsuè-tshoo
  - Phofsit Daibuun: zoeazhof
  - IPA (Xiamen): /t͡sue²¹⁻⁵³ t͡sʰɔ⁴⁴/
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /t͡sue²¹⁻⁴¹ t͡sʰɔ⁴⁴/
  - IPA (Taipei): /t͡sue¹¹⁻⁵³ t͡sʰɔ⁴⁴/
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /t͡sue⁴¹⁻⁵⁵⁴ t͡sʰɔ³³/
- (Hokkien: Zhangzhou)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chòe-che
  - Tâi-lô: tsuè-tse
  - Phofsit Daibuun: zoeazef
  - IPA (Zhangzhou): /t͡sue²¹⁻⁵³ t͡se⁴⁴/
- (Teochew)
  - Peng'im: zuê³ co¹
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: tsuè tsho
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sue²¹³⁻⁵⁵ t͡sʰo³³/

Noun

最初

beginning; outset; start

Adjective

最初

initial; first

Adverb

最初

initially; originally

Synonyms

edit

一插手兒／一插手儿 (yīchāshǒur) (Beijing Mandarin)
一開始／一开始 (yīkāishǐ)
上頭仔／上头仔 (Hokkien)
乍出猛兒／乍出猛儿 (zhàchūměngr) (Beijing Mandarin)
先前 (¹shi-zhi) (Wu)
先起頭／先起头 (Wu)
先頭／先头 (Wu)
初初 (co¹ co¹) (Cantonese, Hakka, Hokkien)
劈頭／劈头 (pītóu)
原 (yuán)
原來／原来 (yuánlái)
原先 (yuánxiān)
原初 (yuánchū)
原底 (Hokkien, chiefly Cantonese, Teochew, chiefly Cantonese)
原旦 (Hakka)
原本 (yuánběn)
原本榻裡／原本榻里 (⁶gnioe-pen-thaq-li) (Wu)
在本 (Hokkien)
始初 (shǐchū) (literary)
寢頭／寝头 (Hokkien)
就跟兒／就跟儿 (jiùgēnr) (Beijing Mandarin)
早先 (⁵tsau-shi) (Wu)
本來／本来 (běnlái)
本則來／本则来 (⁵pen-tseq-le) (Wu)
本底 (Hokkien)
本底子 (⁵pen-ti-tsy) (Wu)
本成 (Hokkien)
本然 (Hokkien)
本生 (⁵pen-san) (Wu)
當初／当初 (dāngchū)
當初時／当初时 (Hokkien)
當原初／当原初 (Quanzhou Hokkien, Xiamen Hokkien)
自本 (Hokkien)
舊底／旧底 (Hokkien)
起先 (qǐxiān)
起初 (qǐchū)
起始 (qǐshǐ)
起手 (qǐshǒu)
起頭／起头 (qǐtóu)
起首 (qǐshǒu) (literary, or Guangzhou Cantonese)
開先／开先 (kai¹ sienn¹) (Xiang)
開初／开初 (kāichū)
頭仔／头仔 (Hokkien)
頭起先／头起先 (Hokkien)
頭頭／头头 (Cantonese, Eastern Min, Hokkien)

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (最初):

→ Japanese: 最初(さいしょ) (saisho)
→ Korean: 최초(最初) (choecho)
→ Vietnamese: tối sơ (最初)

Japanese

Kanji in this term
最	初
さい Grade: 4	しょ Grade: 4
on'yomi

Etymology

最 (sai-, “most”) +‎ 初 (sho, “new, first”)

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) さいしょ [sàíshó] (Heiban – [0])^[1]
IPA^(key): [sa̠iɕo̞]

Adverb

最(さい)初(しょ) • (saisho)

firstly

Noun

最(さい)初(しょ) • (saisho)

first, the beginning, the start
- 1912, 夏目漱石, 行人:
  自分(じぶん)は最初(さいしょ)その横顔(よこがお)を見(み)た時(とき)、これが病人(びょうにん)の顔(かお)だろうかと疑(うたが)った。
  Jibun wa saisho sono yokogao o mita toki, kore ga byōnin no kao darō ka to utagatta.
  When I first saw the face in profile, I suspected that it might be the face of a sick person.
- 1914, 島田清次郎, 若芽:
  これが若(わか)い文士(ぶんし)が父(ちち)を見(み)ての最初(さいしょ)の言葉(ことば)であつた。
  Kore ga wakai bunshi ga chichi o mite no saisho no kotoba de atsuta.
  These were the first words that the man of letters uttered upon seeing his father.
- 1914, 夏目漱石, こころ:
  彼(かれ)の自白(じはく)は最初(さいしょ)から最後(さいご)まで同(おな)じ調子(ちょうし)で貫(つらぬ)いていました。
  Kare no jihaku wa saisho kara saigo made onaji chōshi de tsuranuite imashita.
  He stuck to the same tone in his confession from beginning to end.

Antonyms

最後(さいご) (saigo, “last”)

Derived terms

最初(さいしょ)に (saishoni, “firstly”)

Related terms

初(はじ)めて (hajimete, “for the first time”)

References

^ Hirayama, Teruo, editor (1960), 全国アクセント辞典 (Zenkoku Akusento Jiten, “Nationwide Accent Dictionary”) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Tōkyōdō, →ISBN

Korean

Hanja in this term
最	初

Noun

最初 • (choecho) (hangeul 최초)

hanja form^? of 최초 (“the first”)

Vietnamese

chữ Hán Nôm in this term
最	初

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Noun

最初

chữ Hán form of tối sơ (“beginning; initial; first”).

[ZAJ-1] Hirayama, Teruo, editor (1960), 全国アクセント辞典 (Zenkoku Akusento Jiten, “Nationwide Accent Dictionary”) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Tōkyōdō, →ISBN

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