始

始 U+59CB, 始 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-59CB ← 姊 [U+59CA] CJK Unified Ideographs 姌 → [U+59CC]

Stroke order

始 (Kangxi radical 38, 女+5, 8 strokes, cangjie input 女戈口 (VIR), four-corner 4346₀, composition ⿰女台)

• 𡤔, 𪦲, 𦰯, 𠝔, 𤯯, 㗠, 𡤓

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 258, character 16
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 6166
• Dae Jaweon: page 523, character 22
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 2, page 1041, character 12
• Unihan data for U+59CB

trad.		始
simp. #		始
alternative forms		兘 乨 𠃭 𠙉

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *hljɯʔ) : semantic 女 (“woman”) + phonetic 台 (OC *l̥ʰɯː, *l'ɯː, *l'ɯː, *lɯ).

始

1. beginning; start
2. to begin; to start
3. initial; first
4. proto-; eo-
5. then; only then; only after

   Synonym: 才 (cái)

   • 千呼萬喚始出來，猶抱琵琶半遮面。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     千呼万唤始出来，犹抱琵琶半遮面。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: 白居易, 《琵琶行》 (translated by Betty Tseng)

     Qiānhūwànhuàn shǐ chūlái, yóu bào pípá bàn zhē miàn. [Pinyin]

     It was after many invitations, call after call, before she showed herself. Even then, she held her pipa close and revealed only half of her countenance.

• (antonym(s) of “beginning”): 終／终 (zhōng)

• “始”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎^[1], 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–

(Third grade kyōiku kanji)

1. to begin; to start

• Go-on: し (shi, Jōyō)
• Kan-on: し (shi, Jōyō)
• Kun: はじめる (hajimeru, 始める, Jōyō)、はじめ (hajime, 始め)、はじまる (hajimaru, 始まる, Jōyō)
• Nanori: とも (tomo)、はじめ (hajime)、はる (haru)、もと (moto)

Kanji in this term
始
し Grade: 3
on'yomi

From Middle Chinese 始 (MC syiX).

始(し) • (shi) 

1. beginning; start
2. initial; first

• 初(しょ) (sho)

From Middle Chinese 始 (MC syiX). Recorded as Middle Korean 시 (si) (Yale: si) in Sinjeung Yuhap (新增類合 / 신증유합), 1576.

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [ɕʰi]
• Phonetic hangul: [시]

Wikisource

始 (eumhun 비롯할 시 (birothal si))
始 (eumhun 비로소 시 (biroso si))

1. hanja form^? of 시 (“beginning; start”)
2. hanja form^? of 시 (“initial; first”)

• 국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會 大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전／電子字典. [2]

始: Hán Việt readings: thủy/thuỷ^[1][2][3], thỉ (詩(thi)止(chỉ)切(thiết))^[2][4][3]
始: Nôm readings: thỉ^[4][5], thủy/thuỷ^[1], thũy/thuỹ

1. chữ Hán form of thuỷ/thủy (“beginning; start; initial”).