JLPT N4 kanji. Readings, meaning, and how the character is built.
初 means first, beginning. It is a JLPT N4 kanji written in 7 strokes, read はじめ or しょ. It is built from 2 parts: 衤 (clothes, clothing radical (no. 145), 刀 (sword, saber). It appears in 初め (beginning / start) and 初めて (for the first time).
初 is written in 7 strokes, in the order numbered below. Order matters: it is what makes handwriting legible, and it is how the character is looked up in a paper dictionary.
初 breaks into 2 parts.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 初め | はじめ | beginning / start |
| 初めて | はじめて | for the first time |
| 最初 | さいしょ | beginning / first |
These use 衤 or 刀 too. The part keeps its job from one character to the next, which is what makes it worth learning once.
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