早 zǎo
“early; morning; Good morning!”
adverbial adjective, adjective2021 list level 1
新HSK等级2025 HSK 3.0 syllabus level
早 appears in the November 2025 exam syllabus in the following numbered entry. Levels refer to the listed reading and use, not every meaning.
- Entry 273: 早 zǎo — Level 1; official annotation 1 (形). PDF page 86
Separate from the HSK 2.0 and 2021 list labels above. Compare the three lists.
用法How to use 早
早 is an adjective/adverb meaning "early" and can stand alone as a short morning greeting, as in 老师早. For the noun "morning," beginners should use 早上 or 早晨; 早 alone is not a general noun for morning. Common patterns include 起得很早, 早睡早起, and 还很早.
例句Example sentences
- 我每天起得很早。wǒ měi tiān qǐ de hěn zǎo.I get up very early every day.
- 老师早！lǎo shī zǎo!Good morning, teacher!
- 现在还很早，我们再坐一会儿吧。xiàn zài hái hěn zǎo, wǒ men zài zuò yí huìr ba.It's still very early; let's sit for a while longer.
易混词Easily confused
早vs早上
早上 is a noun meaning "morning" and is the normal choice in time phrases such as 早上七点. 早 mainly means "early" or serves as a greeting; it is not a general substitute for 早上, though it can mean "morning" in fixed expressions like 从早到晚.