早
早 (zǎo) means “early”. It is made of 日 + 十 and has 6 strokes, and is an HSK 1 word in the current exam syllabus (2025).
Break 早 into its parts
What 早 is made of
- 日 rì — sun; day
- 口 kǒu — mouth
- 冂 — frame
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 口 kǒu — mouth
- 十 — ten
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 丨 — vertical stroke
Origin hint: The first rays 十 of the sun 日 (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
早 stroke order
Example sentences
你来得真早！Nǐ lái de zhēn zǎo!You came really early!
明天要早一点儿起床吗？Míngtiān yào zǎo yīdiǎnr qǐchuáng ma?Do we need to get up a bit earlier tomorrow?
Words with 早
- 早饭zǎofànbreakfast
- 早上zǎoshangearly morning
- 早餐zǎocānbreakfast
- 早晨zǎochénearly morning
- 早就zǎojiùlong ago
- 早已zǎoyǐlong ago
- 迟早chízǎosooner or later
- 及早jízǎoas early as possible
Also built with 日
- 冒màoto risk
- 旦dàndawn
- 旧jiùold
- 旨zhǐaim
- 旬xúnten-day period
- 旱hàndry
- 时shítime
- 旷kuàngbroad
- 旺wàngto flourish
- 昂ángto rise
- 昆kūnelder brother
- 昌chāngsunlight
Quick facts
| Pinyin | zǎo |
|---|---|
| Meaning | early |
| Strokes | 6 |
| Radical | 日 (sun, #72) |
| Pattern | Top–bottom |
| HSK | HSK 1 (exam 2025) · HSK 1 (2021) |
Questions about 早
What does 早 mean?
早 (zǎo) means “early”.
How many strokes does 早 have?
早 has 6 strokes.
What is the radical of 早?
The radical of 早 is 日 (rì, “sun”), Kangxi radical number 72.
What parts make up 早?
早 is made of 日 (sun; day) and 十 (ten).
Which HSK level is 早?
早 is in HSK 1 (exam 2025) and HSK 1 (2021).
Learn 早 with its group
It is part of HSK 1 (2021) · Group 16: a short group with quick checks and spaced repeats.