早zǎoearly
早 (zǎo) means "early," "morning" and "Good morning!", as in 我今天起床很早 (I got up very early today), 他从早到晚都在工作 (He works from morning to night) and 老师,早! (Good morning, teacher!). This entry covers these three senses: early in time, the morning itself, and a morning greeting.
What does 早 mean?
- 1.
earlyadjective
- 2.
morningnoun
- 3.
Good morning!interjection
What does the character 早 mean?
- 早early
How do you use 早?
See it in 我今天起床很早, 他从早到晚都在工作 and 老师,早!.
What are some examples of 早 in a sentence?
How is 早 used in a conversation?
- Speaker A:
老师,早!
Lǎoshī, zǎo!
Good morning, teacher!
- Speaker B:
早!你今天来得很早。
Zǎo! Nǐ jīntiān lái de hěn zǎo.
Good morning! You came very early today.
- Speaker A:
我今天起床很早。
Wǒ jīntiān qǐchuáng hěn zǎo.
I got up very early today.
- Speaker B:
很好。
Hěn hǎo.
Very good.
Can you use 早 correctly?
0 of 3 answeredWhat should you learn next?
- Free HSK 3 level testSee which HSK 3.0 level your vocabulary matches.
- HSK 1 word listEvery word at this level, with examples.
- HSK 3.0 guideHow the nine levels and three bands work.
Related words
- 早上zǎo shangearly morningHSK 1
- 冷lěngcoldHSK 1
- 多duōmany; much; more; a lot ofHSK 1
- 大dàbig; large; greatHSK 1
- 女nǚfemaleHSK 1
- 好hǎogood; appropriate; properHSK 1
Browse every entry in the Chinese word dictionary.
English glosses on this page are adapted from CC-CEDICT, published by MDBG (snapshot 2026-10-23), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Glosses were edited for learners.