How to say 'Beginning' in Japanese | 始め

Wondering how to say 'Beginning' in Japanese? You're in the right place!

The Japanese word for Beginning is 'Hajime', written as 始め in Japanese.'Beginning' in hiragana is はじめ.

word

始め

Meaning

Beginning

Reading

はじめ

hajime

Kanji

始Begin

Explanation

The Japanese noun '始め (はじめ)' means 'beginning'. It refers to the start or commencement of something, such as an event, process, or period. This word is often used in contexts where the focus is on the initial stage or the origin of something. For example: the beginning of the story「物語の始め」(ものがたりのはじめ). Let's start from the beginning「始めから始めましょう」(はじめからはじめましょう). It can also be used in phrases like '始めまして (はじめまして)', which is a common greeting meaning 'Nice to meet you' or 'How do you do?' when meeting someone for the first time.

Part Of Speech

noun

Kanji JLPT

Kanji Grade

Frequency

684

Composition

kanji-hiragana

Handwriting

Kanji in the Word 始め

This word contains 1 kanji character:

kanji

始

Meaning

Begin

Hiragana in the Word 始め

This word contains 1 Hiragana character :

hiragana

め

Reading

Words Related to 始め Through the Kanji 始

These 9 Words contain the Kanji 始 as well.

word

始める

Meaning

Start

word

始まる

Meaning

Begin

word

開始

Meaning

Start

word

始めに

Meaning

Firstly

word

始終

Meaning

Always

word

始発

Meaning

First departure

word

始末

Meaning

Management, Conclusion

word

始まり

Meaning

Beginning

word

年始

Meaning

New year

Learn the Word 始め

Let's make sure you fully understand this word.

What does 'Hajime' (始め) mean?

'Hajime' means 'Beginning' .

To help you master this word, here's an interactive lesson where you'll practice its readings and meanings.