HSK 5 · Adjectives

初级 chūjí “elementary” in Chinese

Traditional 初級

What 初级 means

  1. elementary
  2. beginner (level)
  3. primary
  4. junior

How to say 初级

  • Pitch chart of the first tone: stays high and level, 5 to 5 on the five-level scale初chū1st tone, high and level
  • Pitch chart of the second tone: rises from mid to high, 3 to 5 on the five-level scale级jí2nd tone, rising

初级 in a sentence

  1. 我在上初级汉语课。

    Wǒ zài shàng chūjí Hànyǔ kè.

    I’m taking a beginner Chinese class.

    Sentence by WillyChina

  2. 这本书适合初级水平的学生。

    Zhè běn shū shìhé chūjí shuǐpíng de xuésheng.

    This book suits students at beginner level.

    Sentence by WillyChina

How 初级 is built

Each colour is one part of the character. Parts repeat across thousands of characters, so learning them makes new words easier. See all 214 in our radicals chart.

The character 初 (chū) with each of its parts in a different colour
初chūat first; initially
  • 衤clothes form of 衣 · yī
  • 刀knife · dāo
The character 级 (jí) with each of its parts in a different colour
级jílevel
  • 纟silk form of 糸 · mìMeaning part
  • 及to extend · jíSound part

纟 hints at the meaning (silk); 及 (jí) hints at the sound. Compare it with jí.

How to write 初级

初 7 strokes · 级 6 strokes

Watch the order, then press Try writing it and draw each stroke in the grid. Each stroke is checked as you go.

初级 (chūjí) stroke order chart: each stroke of the characters in the order you write them
Stroke order chart for 初级 (chūjí). Red marks the next stroke, so you can copy it onto paper one step at a time.

Words related to 初级

Words with 初

Words with 级

More words: Adjectives

FAQs

初级 (chūjí) means “elementary” or “beginner (level)”. It is an HSK 5 word.
Say it chūjí: chū with a 1st tone, then jí with a 2nd tone. Press Listen at the top of this page to hear it, or Slowly to hear each tone clearly.
In Traditional characters, used in Taiwan and Hong Kong, 初级 is written 初級. The pronunciation is the same.
Add a Chinese (Simplified) pinyin keyboard to your phone or computer, type chuji with no tone marks or spaces, then choose 初级 from the suggestions. Typing chuji into this dictionary’s search box finds it too.
初级 is an HSK 5 word in the HSK 2.0 word lists.

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Sources: meaning and pinyin checked by a native Mandarin teacher against the official HSK lists. Extra meanings from CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0). Example sentences written by WillyChina. Character parts and stroke order from Make Me a Hanzi.