The kanji 初 primarily conveys the idea of "beginning," "first," or "new." It represents the initial stage of something, the point where something starts or originates. It can also imply freshness or novelty.

・On-yomi (音読み): ショ (sho) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): はじ（め） (hajime - as a noun), はじ（まる） (hajimaru - to begin), はじ（める） (hajimeru - to start)

⚫︎初（はじ）めて会（あ）う人（ひと） Translation: The person I meet for the first time. ⚫︎初（はじ）心（こころ） Translation: Beginning; one's original intention. ⚫︎初（はつ）夏（なつ） Translation: Early summer.

The kanji 初 is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字 - keisei moji). It combines two elements: ⚫︎The left side is 衤 (衣 - "clothing") which suggests a connection to the beginning or initial stages, as in putting on new clothes. ⚫︎The right side is 刀 (刀 - "knife"). The original meaning may have been related to cutting, as in the act of cutting the first threads of a new garment. Over time, the meaning shifted to represent the beginning or the first instance of something.