自从

自从 zìcóng

Since (ever since)

HSK 5 繁體 自從 zicong

What 自从 means

  1. Since (ever since)

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 自从 will read it the same way this page does.

Character by character

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

Oneself (certainly - from)
cóng
From (follow - obey)

How to write 自从

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

Practise 自从 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 自从

What does 自从 mean in English?

自从 is pronounced zìcóng and means Since (ever since).

How do you pronounce 自从?

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

What are the characters in 自从?

自从 is written with 2 characters: 自 (zì) Oneself (certainly - from), 从 (cóng) From (follow - obey). Knowing the parts is usually how the whole word becomes memorable.

How is 自从 written in traditional Chinese?

自從. The simplified form 自从 is used in mainland China and Singapore; 自從 is used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau. Both are pronounced zìcóng.

Is 自从 an HSK word?

Yes — 自从 is on the official HSK 5 vocabulary list. You can study it with the rest of that list on the HSK 5 page.

Studied around the same time

Keep going

Translate a whole sentence containing 自从 with the Chinese to Pinyin translator, study it alongside the rest of HSK 5, drill it with HSK flashcards, or save it above and review it on your review deck.

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