早
Character learning workspace

zǎo · early

Master the form, understand its parts, and learn how it behaves in real Chinese.

HSK 3.0 · Level 1Frequency #445
Watch · inspect · write

Learn every stroke in 早

Replay the complete order, pause on difficult movements, inspect one stroke at a time, then write it yourself with live correction.

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Stroke graphics: Make Me a Hanzi / Arphic Public License
Step-by-step explorer

See how 早 is constructed

Switch between the accumulated form and the isolated movement of each stroke.

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Character anatomy

Understand the reusable parts

The decomposition shows how the visual pieces fit together, not necessarily the character’s historical origin.

Writing notes

Shape and proportion

6Total strokes

Count each continuous pen movement once, including turns and hooks.

Top-bottomCharacter structure

Keep the upper section balanced above the lower section.

日Key radical

Use the highlighted radical in the animation as a visual anchor for remembering the form.

Print and practise

Download a 早 writing sheet

Get a ready-to-use A4 sheet immediately, or open the full builder to change its grid and guidance.

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Includes the stroke sequence, progressive tracing, and blank writing squares. Generated locally in your browser.

Vocabulary in context

Common words with 早

Open a word for its full breakdown, or listen before reading the meaning.

zǎoWords pronounced zǎo
Read and listen

Example sentences

Notice where 早 sits in each complete thought.

Wǒ yǒu shí zǎo shàng bù xiǎng xià chuáng.我有时早上不想下床。

I sometimes just don't want to get out of bed in the morning.

Source: Tatoeba #5640758 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Zhè zhài tā zǎo wǎn yào hái de.这债她早晚要还的。

She will pay for this.

Source: Tatoeba #13892004 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Tā chí zǎo huì huí lái de.他迟早会回来的。

He will come back sooner or later.

Source: Tatoeba #333225 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Nǐ hǎo a! zǎo shàng hǎo!你好啊!早上好!

Hello! Good morning!

Source: Tatoeba #10552179 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Nǐ míng tiān zǎo shàng bù lái jiē wǒ ma?你明天早上不来接我吗?

Aren't you coming to pick me up tomorrow morning?

Source: Tatoeba #8605875 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Wǒ zuó tiān zǎo shàng kàn dào le hěn duō niǎo.我昨天早上看到了很多鸟。

Yesterday morning I saw many birds.

Source: Tatoeba #9953372 · CC BY 2.0 FR
Turn reference into recall

How to study 早 in context

  1. Say zǎo, then recall the core meaning: early.
  2. Write all 6 strokes while keeping the top-bottom balanced.
  3. Use it in 早饭 (zǎo fàn), meaning “breakfast”.
  4. Read the complete sentence aloud once, then cover the translation and explain how 早 works in that context.

Definitions and traditional forms are compiled from Make Me a Hanzi, HSK curriculum data, and CC-CEDICT. Sourced example sentences link to Tatoeba; editorial examples are labeled separately. Review data sources and licenses.