当初

当初 dāngchū

Initially

当初 in a sentence HSK 6 繁體當初 dangchu

What 当初 means

Initially

These meanings come from the same dictionary that powers the Chinese to Pinyin translator and the Chinese to English translator, so a whole sentence containing 当初 will read it the same way this page does.

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Character by character

当初 is written with 2 characters. Chinese words are usually easier to remember once you can see what each part contributes.

当

dāng / dàng

Should (facing - when - act as - equal); Appropriate (assume)

初

chū

Initially (first - primary)

Words that share a character with 当初

How to write 当初

Stroke order is not decoration — it is what makes handwriting legible and what dictionary lookup by stroke count depends on.

Practise 当初 on printable 田字格 sheets, trace it in the writing practice tool, or watch any other character in the Stroke Order Animator.

当初 in a sentence

当初要是听他的就好了。

Dāngchū yàoshi tīng tā de jiù hǎo le.

If only we had listened to him at the time.

这条街和当初完全不一样了。

Zhè tiáo jiē hé dāngchū wánquán bù yíyàng le.

This street is completely different from how it was back then.

Every sentence on this site that uses 当初 is collected on the 当初 sentence page. Want pinyin above a sentence of your own? Paste it into the Pinyin Annotator.

Questions about 当初

What does 当初 mean in English?

当初 is pronounced dāngchū and means Initially.

How do you pronounce 当初?

当初 is dāngchū in pinyin — written dangchu without tone marks. Press the audio button on this page to hear it spoken by a native voice.

What are the characters in 当初?

当初 is written with 2 characters: 当 (dāng / dàng) Should (facing - when - act as - equal); Appropriate (assume), 初 (chū) Initially (first - primary). Knowing the parts is usually how the whole word becomes memorable.

How is 当初 written in traditional Chinese?

當初. The simplified form 当初 is used in mainland China and Singapore; 當初 is used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau. Both are pronounced dāngchū.

Is 当初 an HSK word?

Yes — 当初 is on the official HSK 6 vocabulary list. You can study it with the rest of that list on the HSK 6 page.

Studied around the same time

淡季 dànjì 淡水 dànshuǐ 蛋白质 dànbáizhì 当场 dāngchǎng 当代 dāngdài 当面 dāngmiàn 当前 dāngqián 当事人 dāngshìrén

Keep going

Translate a whole sentence containing 当初 with the Chinese to Pinyin translator, study it alongside the rest of HSK 6, drill it with HSK flashcards, or save it above and review it on your review deck.

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