先 xiān — early; prior; former; in advance; first
请你先走，我马上就来。Qǐng nǐ xiān zǒu, wǒ mǎ shàng jiù lái.Please go first; I will come right away.
Common words: 先生 (xiān sheng)、首先 (shǒu xiān)、领先 (lǐng xiān)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "early"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "early", including 先 (xiān), 早 (zǎo). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words, and examples.
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "early" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 先 (xiān), 早 (zǎo) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span xiān, zǎo — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 先 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 先 xiānearly; prior; former; in advance; firstUseful words: 先生, 首先
- 早 zǎoearly; morningUseful words: 早上, 早饭
Common words for these 2 "early" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 先 (xiān) — so "early" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 2 ways to say "early".
早 zǎo — early; morning
早上好，今天天气不错。Zǎo shang hǎo, jīn tiān tiān qì bú cuò.Good morning; the weather is nice today.
Common words: 早上 (zǎo shang)、早饭 (zǎo fàn)、早就 (zǎo jiù)
All 2 characters
Open 先、早 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.