How to Write 最 (zuì) — Meaning “Most / -est”

Imagine the sun (曰) at its hottest point, and you 'take' (取) shelter because it is the most intense. This visual of the sun being at its strongest helps you remember that 最 means 'most'.

Write the top part 曰 first, making it wide and flat. Then write 取 below: start with the left side as 耳 (ear), then add the right side 又 (hand). A common mistake is making the 取 too narrow or forgetting that the vertical stroke in 耳 goes straight down.

最 has 曰 on top and 取 (耳 + 又) below. 曹 has two 曰 stacked vertically (like a double 'sun'), while 曼 has 曰 on top, 目 (eye) in the middle, and 又 (hand) at the bottom. Pay attention to the bottom parts: 最 uses 耳, not 目.

最 is used as a superlative marker before adjectives to mean 'most' or '-est', like 最大 (biggest) and 最好 (best). It also appears in time expressions like 最近 (recently), which is very common in daily conversation.

Common words containing 最 include: 最大 (zuì dà) — Biggest / largest; 最好 (zuì hǎo) — Best / had better; 最近 (zuì jìn) — Recently / lately.