How to Write 早 (zǎo) — Meaning “early; morning”

Q: What is a good memory trick to help remember the character 早?

Picture the sun (日) rising above a cross-shaped horizon (十) - that's the early morning scene. This visual helps link the shape to the meaning 'early'.

Q: What are the key writing tips for 早, including common mistakes?

Write the top 日 first (three horizontal strokes inside), then the bottom 十 (horizontal then vertical). Make sure the 日 is narrow and centered above the 十 - a common mistake is making the 日 too wide.

Q: How can I tell 早 apart from similar characters like 日 and 旦?

日 is just the sun radical, meaning 'sun' or 'day', while 早 adds the cross below for 'early'. 旦 has a single horizontal line below the sun (dawn), whereas 早 uses a cross (十). So 早 is more specific to 'early morning'.

Q: When and how is 早 used in modern Chinese, and is there any cultural note?

早 is common in daily phrases like 早上 (morning) and 早餐 (breakfast). As a casual greeting, friends often say "早" to mean 'good morning' - it's shorter and more informal than 早上好.

Q: What common words use 早?

Common words containing 早 include: 早上 (zǎo shàng) — morning; 早餐 (zǎo cān) — breakfast; 早起 (zǎo qǐ) — to get up early.

zǎo HSK Level 1 6 strokes Radical: 日

早 (zǎo) means "early; morning" in Chinese. It has 6 strokes with the radical 日, and is HSK Level 1.

Rated 2.7/5 in difficulty (moderate).

Harder than 45% of HSK Level 1 characters.

Appears in 3+ common words including 早上 (zǎo shàng), 早餐 (zǎo cān), 早起 (zǎo qǐ).

Hanzi Writer's stroke validation shows learners typically need 5-8 attempts to write 早 with correct proportion and order.

Practice Writing 早 (zǎo)

Open Hanzi Writer to see the animated stroke order and practice writing 早 with real-time feedback.

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How to Write 早

The character 早 (zǎo) is written with 6 strokes. Follow the standard Chinese stroke order: top to bottom, left to right, outside before inside. The radical 日 is one of its key components.

Practice the correct stroke order with the Hanzi Writer app to see animated stroke-by-stroke guidance with real-time feedback.

What Does zǎo (早) Mean in Chinese?

早 means early; morning.

As an HSK Level 1 character, 早 is among the first characters beginners learn.

Character Data

Character	早
Pinyin	zǎo (zao)
Meaning	early; morning
Strokes	6
Radical	日
HSK Level	1
Difficulty	2.7/5

Origin of 早

早 depicts the sun (日) rising above a horizontal line representing the ground or horizon, indicating the early morning when the sun first appears. Over time, the line evolved into the component 十, but the core idea of dawn remains.

💡 Memory Tip: The sun (日) with a plus sign (+) underneath reminds you to get up early, because adding (+) sunlight to your day starts in the morning.

Common Words with 早

早上 zǎo shàng

morning

早餐 zǎo cān

breakfast

早起 zǎo qǐ

to get up early

Example Sentences

早上好。

zǎo shàng hǎo

Good morning.

你吃早餐了吗？

nǐ chī zǎo cān le ma

Have you had breakfast?

他每天早起跑步。

tā měi tiān zǎo qǐ pǎo bù

He gets up early every day to go for a run.

Similar Characters Comparison

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Radical
早 (current)	zǎo	6	日
日	rì	4	日
旦	dàn	5	日
旧	jiù	5	日

Practice Writing 早 (zǎo)

Open Hanzi Writer to see the animated stroke order and practice writing 早 with real-time feedback.

✨ Animated stroke order · Handwriting recognition · HSK-graded practice · Free to use

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Frequently Asked Questions about 早

How is the character 早 structured, and how do its parts relate to its meaning?

早 is made of 日 (sun) on top and 十 (ten or cross) on bottom. The sun above a horizontal line suggests sunrise, symbolizing early morning.

What is a good memory trick to help remember the character 早?

What are the key writing tips for 早, including common mistakes?

How can I tell 早 apart from similar characters like 日 and 旦?

When and how is 早 used in modern Chinese, and is there any cultural note?

What common words use 早?

How to Write 早 (zǎo) — Meaning “early; morning”

Practice Writing 早 (zǎo)

How to Write 早

What Does zǎo (早) Mean in Chinese?

Character Data

Origin of 早

Common Words with 早

Example Sentences

Similar Characters Comparison

Practice Writing 早 (zǎo)

Frequently Asked Questions about 早

More HSK Level 1 Characters

Characters with Radical 日

Other 6-Stroke Characters