初
chū
at first; initial
Every meaning
chū
- at first; initial
- beginning (as in 月初)
- junior high school (short for 初中)
- (of days of the lunar month) first ten days (as in 初一)
- elementary; rudimentary
Words with 初
Meanings are from Mandarin The Wild’s own dictionary. Levels follow the official HSK word list (the exam’s 2025 syllabus, levels 7–9 shown together).