初 — first / beginning

Grade 4しょ, はじ, はつ, うい

Radical ⼑ · radical 18 The building block this kanji is filed under

初 (readings: しょ, はじ, はつ, うい; Japanese kanji) means “first / beginning”. It is a Grade 4 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 4 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 初めて (for the first time).

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What does 初 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	初
Meaning	first / beginning
Readings	しょ, はじ, はつ, うい
Grade	Grade 4 (Upper)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	初めて (for the first time)

How to read 初

初 is read しょ or はじ or はつ or うい depending on the word.

Words with 初

最初さいしょđầu tiên
初夏しょかđầu hè
初詣đi lễ đền đầu năm
初めてlần đầu

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Updated: 2026-08-09