最 (zuì): (before an adjective or verb) to the highest degree, (the) most ..., -est, (after 之) best or most extreme example (e.g. 世界之最 "the greatest in the world")
最 (zuì) is a Chinese character meaning “(before an adjective or verb) to the highest degree.” Classified as HSK Level 2 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 日 (structural) and 取 (structural). It ranks #139 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 最 to take place 取 under the sun 日 (that is, everywhere). Its radical form 冂 (wide) appears in many related characters such as 再 (zài, again), 内 (nèi, inside), 冒 (mào, to emit).
Definitions
- (before an adjective or verb) to the highest degree
- (the) most ...
- -est
- (after 之) best or most extreme example (e.g. 世界之最 "the greatest in the world")
Etymology & Origin
ideographicTo take place 取 under the sun 日 (that is, everywhere)
Decomposition: ⿱日取 (layout: top-bottom)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 最 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 最
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 最后noun | zuì hòu | final | 3 |
| 最近noun | zuì jìn | recently | 3 |
| 最终noun | zuì zhōng | final | 4 |
| 最佳adjective | zuì jiā | optimum | 5 |
| 最好adverb | zuì hǎo | best | 3 |
| 最初noun | zuì chū | first | 5 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 最高 | zuì gāo | tallest |
| 最新 | zuì xīn | latest |
| 最先 | zuì xiān | (the) very first |
| 最为 | zuì wéi | the most |
| 最高法院 | zuì gāo fǎ yuàn | supreme court |
| 最后通牒 | zuì hòu tōng dié | ultimatum |
| 最少 | zuì shǎo | at least |
| 最低点 | zuì dī diǎn | lowest point |
| 最大化 | zuì dà huà | to maximize |
| 最多 | zuì duō | at most |
| 最是 | zuì shì | (before an adjective, to indicate superlative degree) the most ... |
| 最好是 | zuì hǎo shì | (as a complete expression, or followed by 啦[la5]) (coll.) Yeah, right! As if! |
| 最后一天 | zuì hòu yī tiān | final day |
| 最大公因子 | zuì dà gōng yīn zǐ | highest common factor HCF |
| 最年长 | zuì nián zhǎng | eldest |
最 appears in 65 compound words: 85 as the first character, 0 as the last, and 15 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 最 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (3)
Example Sentences
这个最字在古汉语中有不同的含义。
zhè gě zuì zì zài gǔ hàn yǔ zhōng yǒu bù tóng de hán yì .
The character "最" had different meanings in classical Chinese.
每天喝咖啡和茶 失智风险最高降三成
měi tiān hē kā fēi hé chá shī zhì fēng xiǎn zuì gāo jiàng sān chéng
Drinking coffee and tea every day reduces the risk of dementia by up to 30%
...关税为中国送上“减税大礼”,英法日德成“最大输家”-FX168
. . . guān shuì wéi zhōng guó sòng shàng jiǎn shuì dà lǐ , yīng fǎ rì dé chéng zuì dà shū jiā F X 1 6 8
... Tariffs have sent a "tax reduction gift" to China, and Britain, France, Japan and Germany have become the "biggest losers" - FX168
柴火灶里烧出的“团聚”,藏着最浓的奉贤年味丨有一种..
chái huǒ zào lǐ shāo chū de tuán jù , zàng zhe zuì nóng de fèng xián nián wèi 丨 yǒu yī zhǒng . .
The "reunion" burned in the wood stove hides the strongest Fengxian New Year's flavor丨There is a kind:
冬奥会|家乡连线:“最强夫妻档”!电影都不敢这么演..
dōng ào huì jiā xiāng lián xiàn : zuì qiáng fū qī dàng ! diàn yǐng dōu bù gǎn zhè má yǎn . .
Winter Olympics|Hometown Connection: "The Strongest Couple"! The movie doesn't dare to act like this:
特朗普向伊朗下最后通牒:伊朗15天内必须与美国达成..
tè lǎng pǔ xiàng yī lǎng xià zuì hòu tōng 牒 : yī lǎng 1 5 tiān nèi bì xū yǔ měi guó dá chéng . .
Trump issued an ultimatum to Iran: Iran must reach an agreement with the United States within 15 days:
你最喜欢什么水果？
Nǐ zuì xǐhuan shénme shuǐguǒ?
What fruit do you like the best?
什么时候出发最方便你？
Shénme shíhou chūfā zuì fāngbiàn nǐ?
When will it suit you to start?
你最近有没有看电影？
Nǐ zuì jìn yǒuméiyǒu kàn diànyǐng?
Have you seen any movies lately?
你最喜欢哪个季节？
Nǐ zuì xǐhuan nǎge jìjié?
What season do you like the best?
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 最 (zuì) mean in Chinese?
How many strokes does 最 have?
What is the radical of 最?
What are the components of 最?
What are common words containing 最?
What characters sound the same as 最 (zuì)?
Is 最 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 最 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear native pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.