to begin; to start; beginning
HSK level
开始 is written with 12 strokes (开: 4, 始: 8). The animation replays automatically.
开始 (kāishǐ) means 'to begin / to start' and also functions as a noun meaning 'the beginning.'
As a verb it can take an action object directly: 开始工作 ('start working'), 开始学中文 ('start learning Chinese'). It can also stand alone — 我们开始吧 ('let's begin'). As a noun it pairs with 的 to modify another noun, or sits at the start of a clause: 一开始 ('at the start / at first'), 从开始到结束 ('from beginning to end').
Two patterns to know: 开始 + verb expresses 'starting to do X,' but the perfective marker 了 attaches to 开始 (not the inner verb) — 我开始了新工作 ('I started a new job'). Compare with 起来 (qǐlái), which is a verb-suffix pattern meaning 'start doing' (说起来 = 'start talking'); 开始 is the standalone verb. The natural opposite is 结束 (jiéshù, 'to end'); 开始 / 结束 is the standard pair for the start and end of meetings, classes, and events.
Character by character
Memory hook: 开 (open) + 始 (beginning) — to 'open the beginning,' to start. Both characters point to the same idea, doubled for emphasis.
开始 appears in 7 Fluentide podcast episodes at natural native speed — each with the full Chinese script, pinyin, and line-by-line English translation.
我们开始上课吧。
Wǒmen kāishǐ shàngkè ba.
Let's start class.
spoken
他去年开始学中文。
Tā qùnián kāishǐ xué Zhōngwén.
He started learning Chinese last year.
neutral
电影几点开始？
Diànyǐng jǐ diǎn kāishǐ?
What time does the movie start?
spoken
一开始我不太习惯。
Yì kāishǐ wǒ bú tài xíguàn.
At first I wasn't used to it.
spoken
起 means 'to rise / start' but is mostly used as a verb suffix or in fixed phrases (起床 'get up,' 起来 'start to'). 开始 is the everyday standalone 'to begin.'
动手 literally 'move hand' — to start doing a hands-on task. More physical and casual. 我们开始做作业 ('let's start the homework') vs 我们动手做菜 ('let's get hands-on with cooking').
开 alone means 'to open' (a door, eyes, a meeting) or 'to drive' (a car). 开始 is specifically 'to begin.' 开会 = 'hold a meeting,' 开始开会 = 'start the meeting.'
起来 attaches to a verb to mean 'start to / come to.' 笑起来 = 'start laughing.' 开始 is a standalone verb you put before another verb: 开始笑.
始 alone is literary and rare in modern speech (开始之初 'at the very beginning' is bookish). Always use the full 开始 in everyday Mandarin.
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