初 chū — (bound form) at first; initially; (bound form) first; early

A way to remember it

A knife and a robe, 衤. Cutting the cloth is where a garment begins, so 初 means first: 初级, 初中, 当初.

A picture that makes the shape stick — not a claim about the character’s history.

Draft — written with AI help and not yet read by a person. What that means.