先
先 (xiān) means “first”. It is made of 土 + 儿 and has 6 strokes, and is an HSK 3 word in the current exam syllabus (2025).
Break 先 into its parts
What 先 is made of
- 土 tǔ — earth
- 十 — ten
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 丨 — vertical stroke
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 十 — ten
- 儿 ér — child
- 丿 — falling stroke
- 乚 — hook stroke
Origin hint: Someone stepping 止 in front of another person 儿 (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
先 stroke order
Example sentences
你先走吧。Nǐ xiān zǒu ba.You go first.
我先吃饭，再看书。Wǒ xiān chīfàn, zài kàn shū.I'll eat first, then read.
Words with 先
- 先生xiānshengMr
- 领先lǐngxiānto lead
- 首先shǒuxiānfirst
- 先进xiānjìnadvanced
- 事先shìxiānin advance
- 率先shuàixiānto take the lead
- 先前xiānqiánbefore
- 优先yōuxiānto have priority
- 预先yùxiānin advance
- 原先yuánxiānoriginally
- 争先恐后zhēngxiānkǒnghòuto scramble to be first
- 祖先zǔxiānancestors
Also built with ⿰
- 临línto draw near
- 丽lìbeautiful
- 众zhòngmultitude
- 册cèvolume
- 勿wùdo not (formal, on signs)
- 压yāto press
- 厨chúkitchen
- 品pǐnarticle
- 哭kūto cry
- 器qìdevice
- 坚jiānhard
- 夜yènight
Quick facts
| Pinyin | xiān |
|---|---|
| Meaning | first; before |
| Strokes | 6 |
| Radical | 儿 (legs; son, #10) |
| Pattern | Top–bottom |
| HSK | HSK 3 (exam 2025) · HSK 1 (2021) · Old HSK 3 |
Questions about 先
What does 先 mean?
先 (xiān) means “first; before”.
How many strokes does 先 have?
先 has 6 strokes.
What is the radical of 先?
The radical of 先 is 儿 (ér, “legs; son”), Kangxi radical number 10.
What parts make up 先?
先 is made of 土 (earth) and 儿 (child).
Which HSK level is 先?
先 is in HSK 3 (exam 2025) and HSK 1 (2021) and Old HSK 3.
Learn 先 with its group
It is part of HSK 1 (2021) · Group 11: a short group with quick checks and spaced repeats.