Have you ever wondered how to really say “beginning” in Japanese? The most well-known word is hajime (初め), but it is not the only way to express this idea, and it is not always the most appropriate. In Japanese, “beginning” can mean the start of an action, the starting point of something, the official opening of an event, or even the emotional beginning of a journey.
In this article, you will understand the true meaning of hajime, its variations, and when to use each form naturally in everyday Japanese.
Table of Contents
初め – hajime – the most common “beginning”
[初め] represents the beginning of something in a broad sense: the start of a day, the beginning of an experience, the start of a relationship, the first time doing something. It is a light word and very commonly used in everyday speech.
It conveys that idea of “the moment when something begins to exist or happen,” without carrying excessive formality.
初めから知っていた。
hajime kara shitte ita.
I knew from the beginning.
始め – hajime – when the beginning is an action
Although it has the same reading, 始め refers to the beginning of an action, not a state. The nuance here is “to start doing something,” the beginning of the movement.
You find this form mainly in verbs like 始める (hajimeru – to start) and 始まる (hajimaru – to start by itself).
映画が始めのシーンだ
eiga ga hajime no shīn da.
This is the opening scene of the movie.
初めて – hajimete – “for the first time”
This form deserves attention because it causes confusion. Although it is similar, 初めて does not mean “beginning” but rather “first time”. It describes an inaugural experience: something you have never done before.
日本に初めて行った。
nihon ni hajimete itta.
I went to Japan for the first time.
最初 – saisho – “the first, the beginning of the sequence”
Saisho is not a direct synonym of hajime, but it appears in practically any context where there is an order.
It is used for the beginning of lists, stages, queues, chapters, phases of a process. Use saisho when there is a structured sequence.
最初のページを読んで。
saisho no pēji o yonde.
Read the first page.
開始 – kaishi – “official beginning”
Kaishi is formal and appears in administrative contexts, announcements, events, classes, ceremonies, or systems.
It is the “official beginning,” the moment when something starts to function.
授業は9時に開始します。
jugyō wa ku-ji ni kaishi shimasu.
The class starts at 9 o’clock.
スタート – sutāto – “modern beginning”
Used mainly in sports, games, youth slang, and more Western contexts.
It is lighter, informal, and simple, similar to the English “start.”
Example:
ゲームがスタートした。– gēmu ga sutāto shita. – The game has started.
When to use “hajime” naturally?
To memorize without complication:
- 初め (hajime) → beginning of something as a state, situation, or idea.
- 始め (hajime) → beginning of an action.
- 初めて (hajimete) → first time.
- 最初 (saisho) → beginning of the order, the first in line.
- 開始 (kaishi) → official beginning.
- スタート (sutāto) → modern and light beginning.
With this, you will start choosing the right term according to the intention — and for a Japanese person, this makes all the difference.
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