How to Write 肇 (zhào) — Meaning “to cause / to start / to initiate”

Imagine opening a door (户) and then using a brush (聿) to take action (攵) and start a new project. This visual of beginning with a door and brush helps link the parts to the meaning of "to start" or "to cause."

Write the top 户 first (dot, horizontal, left falling, vertical), then 攵 (four strokes: left falling, horizontal, horizontal, right falling), and finally the bottom 聿 (six strokes: horizontal, horizontal, vertical, horizontal, horizontal, vertical). A common mistake is making the top 户 too large or mixing up the sequences of horizontals in 聿.

肇 is unique because it contains 户 (door) and 攵 (action) on top of 聿, while 肄 and 肆 both have 隶 (a slave) combined with 聿. Meaning-wise, 肇 means "to cause or start", 肄 means "to practice or study", and 肆 means "four" (in financial contexts) or "unrestrained". Visually, 肄 has 聿 above 隶, and 肆 has 聿 beside 隶.

肇 appears in formal and legal contexts, such as 肇事 (to cause an accident) and 肇始 (to originate). It is also found in place names like 肇庆 (Zhaoqing city) and in news reports about incidents. Because it is not in the HSK list, it is considered an advanced character for learners.

Common words containing 肇 include: 肇事 (zhào shì) — to cause an accident / to create trouble; 肇始 (zhào shǐ) — to originate / to begin; 肇祸 (zhào huò) — to cause trouble / to cause a disaster.