The kanji 初 primarily conveys the idea of "beginning," "first," or "new." It signifies the commencement of something, the initial stage, or the very first instance of an event or action. It's often associated with fresh starts, origins, and the introduction of something.

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

⚫︎ 初めて Translation: for the first time; the first time ⚫︎ 初日 Translation: first day ⚫︎ 初心 Translation: one's original intention; beginner's mind

The kanji 初 is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字 - keisei moji). The left side is the radical 衣 (ころも - koromo), meaning "clothing". The right side is 刀 (かたな - katana) meaning "sword". Initially, the character depicted a newly made garment (garment made using a knife - a knife cut for the first time). Over time, the meaning broadened to encompass "beginning" or "first" in a general sense, and the meaning became less related to the clothing itself.