ZHIZHI 知止 · LEARN CHINESE DAILY

early / morning

zǎo
6 strokes · 日 (sun) + 十 — the sun just above the first stalk of grass · HSK 2

Where 早 comes from

早 lifts the sun 日 just above a sprout or helmet-line 十: dawn, when the sun clears the grass. The picture is a sunrise caught at ankle height.

早 in Chinese culture

早 opens the Chinese day: the single word 早! is 'morning!' — the entire greeting, no 'good' needed. 早上好 (good morning) is the fuller form; 早饭 is breakfast; 早点睡 ('sleep earlier') is what every Chinese parent texts their grown children. The culture prizes 早: 早睡早起 (early to bed, early to rise) is quoted as unironically as Franklin ever meant it.

Example

早上 zǎoshang — morning

早!你吃早饭了吗?
Zǎo! Nǐ chī zǎofàn le ma?
Morning! Have you had breakfast?

How to remember it

Sun 日 just over the grass-tips — EARLY morning.

A single 早! is a complete Chinese greeting — possibly the world's most efficient 'good morning'.

Same sound, different tones

1st zāo
messy / awful
2nd záo
to chisel
3rd zǎo
early

Words unlocked by 早

早上 zǎoshang
morning
早饭 zǎofàn
breakfast
早点 zǎodiǎn
a bit earlier / breakfast snacks
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One character a morning · 169-character HSK library · iOS