创 (chuàng): to initiate, to create, to achieve (sth for the first time)
创 (chuàng) is a Chinese character meaning “to initiate.” Classified as HSK Level 5 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 仓 (phonetic) and 刂 (semantic). It ranks #635 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 创 knife. Its radical form 刂 (knife) appears in many related characters such as 分 (fēn, to divide), 别 (bié, to leave), 到 (dào, to reach).
Definitions
- to initiate
- to create
- to achieve (sth for the first time)
Etymology & Origin
Stroke Order
Practice writing 创 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 创
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 创造verb | chuàng zào | to create | 5 |
| 创意noun/verb | chuàng yì | creative | 6 |
| 创作verb/noun | chuàng zuò | to create | 5 |
| 创新verb/noun | chuàng xīn | to bring forth new ideas | 5 |
| 创建verb | chuàng jiàn | to found | 6 |
| 创立verb | chuàng lì | to establish | 6 |
| 开创verb | kāi chuàng | to initiate | 6 |
| 创办verb | chuàng bàn | to establish | 6 |
| 创业verb | chuàng yè | to begin an undertaking | 5 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 创伤noun | chuāng shāng | wound |
| 创造力noun | chuàng zào lì | ingenuity |
| 创造性noun | chuàng zào xìng | creativeness |
| 创始人noun | chuàng shǐ rén | creator |
| 重创verb | zhòng chuāng | to inflict heavy losses |
| 创造者noun | chuàng zào zhě | creator |
| 创口noun | chuāng kǒu | wound |
| 创下verb | chuàng xià | to establish |
| 创世noun | chuàng shì | the creation of the world |
| 独创verb | dú chuàng | to come up with (an innovation) |
| 创始verb | chuàng shǐ | to initiate |
| 创作者noun | chuàng zuò zhě | creator |
| 独创性noun | dú chuàng xìng | innovative |
| 创建者 | chuàng jiàn zhě | founder |
| 首创verb | shǒu chuàng | to originate |
创 appears in 89 compound words: 70 as the first character, 15 as the last, and 16 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 创 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (1)
Example Sentences
他创办了自己的公司，开始了创业之路。
Tā chuàngbàn le zìjǐ de gōngsī, kāishǐ le chuàngyè zhī lù.
He founded his own company and started his entrepreneurial journey.
冬奥/男子4人雪车洛赫纳再登顶 马尔吉斯创5金纪录
dōng ào nán zǐ 4 rén xuě chē 洛 hè nà zài dēng dǐng mǎ ěr jí sī chuàng 5 jīn jì lù
Winter Olympics/Men's 4-man bobsleigh, Lochner reached the top again, and Margis set a 5-gold record
港深创科园冀2035前创10万职位 马惟善:今...
gǎng shēn chuàng kē yuán 冀 2 0 3 5 qián chuàng 1 0 wàn zhí wèi mǎ 惟 shàn : jīn . . .
Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park hopes to create 100,000 jobs by 2035 Ma Weishan: Today...
...PINK官方YouTube订户破亿 艺人创举
. . . P I N K guān fāng Y o u T u b e dìng hù pò yì yì rén chuàng jǔ
... PINK's official YouTube subscribers exceed 100 million, an artist's initiative
美政府移民政策支持率创新低 国土安全部发言人离职
měi zhèng fǔ yí mín zhèng cè zhī chí lǜ chuàng xīn dī guó tǔ ān quán bù fā yán rén chī zhí
U.S. government's immigration policy has record low approval ratings, DHS spokesman departs
2026年世界知识产权报告:创新传播速度达历史新高
nián shì jiè zhī shí chǎn quán bào gào chuàng xīn chuán bō sù dù dá lì shǐ xīn gāo
World Intellectual Property Report 2026: Diffusion of innovations reaches record pace
根据圣经记载，上帝用6天创造了世界。
Gēnjù Shèngjīng jìzǎi, Shàngdì yòng 6 tiān chuàngzào le shìjiè.
According to the Bible, God made the world in six days.
起初，神创造了天地。
Qǐchū, shén chuàngzào le tiāndì.
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
小人物同样可以创造历史。
Xiǎorénwù tóngyàng kěyǐ chuàngzào lìshǐ.
Small timers can also create history.
汤姆三年前创作了那首歌。
Tāngmǔ sān nián qián chuàngzuò le nà shǒu gē.
Tom wrote that song three years ago.
Character Family
Semantic Family — Characters sharing the 刂 (knife) component
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 创 (chuàng) mean in Chinese?
What's the difference between 创 and 枪?
How many strokes does 创 have?
What is the radical of 创?
What are the components of 创?
What are common words containing 创?
What characters sound the same as 创 (chuàng)?
Is 创 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 创 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear spoken pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.