初 (chū)
at first; (at the) beginning; first; junior; basic
- HSK 3.1 level 3
- 7 strokes
Etymology
Depicts cutting out fabric (衤) with a knife (刀), the first step in making clothes.
Shuowen Jiezi
《說文》：“初，始也。从刀，从衣。裁衣之始也。”
Components
- 衤 (iconic) — 衤 is a component form of 衣.
- 刀 (iconic)