🇬🇧🇨🇳 novice - 新手 : English Lesson

Meaning of "novice" ("新手"), detailed definition, and a short video lesson below.

A novice is someone who has just started doing something and is still learning how it works. They’re not an expert yet, so they might make mistakes, learn new rules, and need extra practice and help. Being a novice is the very first step on the way to getting better at any skill.

Watch and listen to this English flashcard to understand the word in more detail, with an easy example sentence.

The novice skateboarder rolled one inch, fell gently onto a pillow he had prepared, and called it an extreme sport.

The novice gardener watered the plastic flowers for a week and bragged that they never wilted.

As a novice at using chopsticks, he successfully picked up one grain of rice and threw a victory parade.

The novice time traveler set the machine to “lunchtime” no matter what year it was.

Our cat is a novice hunter—she bravely attacked a sock and lost.

A novice gardener kneels, hands trembling, planting a seed. An old gardener watches; the novice lifts a small sprout, unsure. The old gardener shows once, then steps back so the novice can try. The novice laughs when dirt stains their face; the novice plants another seed, proud. The novice waves at the first tiny leaf.

This word is at the C2 level, which means it represents the highest mastery of English. It’s often used in specialized or highly formal contexts and helps you communicate with precision and subtlety, much like a native speaker.

Expanding your English vocabulary is one of the best ways to improve your pronunciation, spelling, and confidence in English. Watch the video above to memorize the word, understand its meaning, and see example sentences in action. Discover related words to grow your vocabulary naturally. Add words to your playlist for stress-free, effective learning—anytime, anywhere! Watch, learn, repeat.