---
title: "Nianchu Meaning: 年初 (niánchū) Means “beginning of the year”"
description: "年初 (niánchū) means “beginning of the year”. Hear its tones, see what 年 and 初 each mean and a real sentence that uses it."
canonical: "https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/nianchu"
published: "2026-10-21"
updated: "2026-11-06"
author: "Mandarin The Wild"
---

[What does it mean in Chinese?](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning)

# What does 年初 mean?

猫头鹰māotóuyīngowl

年初 niánchū

## beginning of the year

## Its characters

1. 年 nián year
2. 初 chū beginning (as in 月初)

## In a sentence

我们年初就开始准备了。 We started preparing at the beginning of the year.

[More about 年初](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E5%B9%B4%E5%88%9D)

## More words with 年 or 初

- [常年 chángnián](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/changnian)
- [成年 chéngnián](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/chengnian)
- [初步 chūbù](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/chubu)
- [初级 chūjí](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/chuji)
- [初期 chūqī](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/chuqi)
- [初中 chūzhōng](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/chuzhong)
- [当初 dāngchū](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/dangchu)
- [当年 dāngnián](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/dangnian)
- [过年 guònián](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/guonian)
- [今年 jīnnián](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/jinnian)

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