What 首先 means
- In the first place (first of all)
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 首先 will read it the same way this page does.
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How to write 首先
Stroke order is not decoration — it is what makes handwriting legible and what dictionary lookup by stroke count depends on.
Practise 首先 on printable 田字格 sheets, trace it in the writing practice tool, or watch any other character in the Stroke Order Animator.
Questions about 首先
What does 首先 mean in English?
首先 is pronounced shǒuxiān and means In the first place (first of all).
How do you pronounce 首先?
首先 is shǒuxiān in pinyin — written shouxian without tone marks. Press the audio button on this page to hear it spoken by a native voice.
What are the characters in 首先?
首先 is written with 2 characters: 首 (shǒu) Head (leader - chief - first - mw for poems-songs-music), 先 (xiān) Earlier (before - first - prior - former - late). Knowing the parts is usually how the whole word becomes memorable.
Is 首先 an HSK word?
Yes — 首先 is on the official HSK 4 vocabulary list. You can study it with the rest of that list on the HSK 4 page.
Studied around the same time
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Translate a whole sentence containing 首先 with the Chinese to Pinyin translator, study it alongside the rest of HSK 4, drill it with HSK flashcards, or save it above and review it on your review deck.
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