最初

zuìchū

adverb HSK 4 #4,136

Meanings

1 initial; first; earliest
2 originally; at the beginning

Characters

beginning; first

Examples

最初，我不想去，后来改变了主意。

Zuìchū, wǒ bù xiǎng qù, hòulái gǎibiàn le zhǔyì.

Initially, I didn't want to go, but later I changed my mind.

他的最初想法是开一家餐厅。

Tā de zuìchū xiǎngfǎ shì kāi yī jiā cāntīng.

His original idea was to open a restaurant.

Tips

usage

最初 (at first/initially) vs 最后 (zuìhòu, finally/in the end). They are natural opposites and often appear in the same narrative.

Stroke Order

最 zuì

初 chū