最
Tap the pinyin to hear it
(before an adjective or verb) to the highest degree; (the) most ...; -est; (after 之[zhi1]) best or most extreme example (e.g. 世界之最[shi4 jie4 zhi1 zui4] "the greatest in the world")
- HSK 3.0
- Level 1
- Old HSK
- Level 2
- Strokes
- 12
- Radical
- 冂 +10
- Structure
- Top–bottom 上下
- Traditional
- 最
- Common rank
- #1,163
- Unicode
- U+6700
Sound it out + =
Formation & memory
Break the character into parts you already know.
Words with 最
The most common words first — learning a character in context makes it stick.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 最后 | final; last; ultimate; finally; in the end | |
| 最好 | best; had better ...; it would be best to ... | |
| 最小平方法 | method of least squares (math.) (Tw) | |
| 最高人民法院 | Supreme People's Court (PRC) | |
| 美国最高法院 | Supreme Court of the United States | |
| 最大公约数 | (math.) highest common factor (HCF); greatest common divisor (GCD) | |
| 最小公分母 | lowest common denominator | |
| 最后一天 | final day | |
| 最大公因子 | (math.) highest common factor (HCF); greatest common divisor (GCD) | |
| 真声最高音 | (music) the highest note one can sing in a natural (non-falsetto) voice | |
| 最大化 | to maximize | |
| 最高法院 | supreme court | |
| 最小化 | to minimize | |
| 最高音 | highest voice; highest pitch; highest note | |
| 最年长 | eldest | |
| 最高人民检察院 | PRC Supreme People's Procuratorate (prosecutor's office) | |
| 面心立方最密堆积 | face-centered cubic (FCC) (math.) | |
| 最小二乘法 | (math.) least squares method | |
| 苏联最高苏维埃 | Supreme Soviet | |
| 为善最乐 | doing good deeds brings the greatest joy (idiom) |
Sound family
These characters use 最 as their sound component — compare how they read.
| Character | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 最 sound part | most, extremely, exceedingly; superlative | |
| 撮 | dash, pinch, small amount | |
| 嘬 | to lap; to suck | |
| 蕞 | small, petty; to assemble |