How to Say “Beginning” in Japanese: Hajime, Saisho, Kaishi

How do you say “beginning” in Japanese? Hajime is often the first word learners meet, but Japanese also uses saisho, hajimete, kaishi, and sutāto. They overlap in English, yet they do different jobs in a sentence.

The useful question is not “Which word means beginning?” but “What is beginning here?” A lesson, a numbered sequence, a first-time experience, and a formal event each call for a different choice.

Contents 7

Quick answer: which word should you use?

• はじめ / 初め / 始め (hajime): a beginning or start in a broad sense.
• 最初 (saisho): the first thing, the beginning of an order, or “at first.”
• 初めて (hajimete): for the first time.
• 開始 (kaishi): a formal start or commencement.
• スタート (sutāto): “start,” a loanword common in sports, games, and events.

These labels are a starting point, not a substitute for the whole sentence. The examples below show the difference that matters in practice.

Hajime: the general idea of a beginning

Hajime is a flexible word for the beginning of a time period, story, activity, or thing. You will often see it written in hiragana as はじめ. When kanji are used, 初め can emphasize an initial or first point, while 始め connects more directly to starting. Real writing does not always draw a hard line between them, so learn the expressions rather than treating the spelling as an absolute rule.

初めから知っていた。
Hajime kara shitte ita.

I knew from the beginning.

映画の始めは静かだ。
Eiga no hajime wa shizuka da.

The beginning of the film is quiet.

For verbs, watch the particle as well as the kanji:

• 始める (hajimeru) means to start something.
• 始まる (hajimaru) means something starts.

先生が授業を始めます。
Sensei ga jugyō o hajimemasu.

The teacher will begin the lesson.

授業が始まります。
Jugyō ga hajimarimasu.

The lesson begins.

Saisho: the first item or point in an order

Saisho is the natural choice when you mean the first item in a sequence: a page, step, person, chapter, or moment. It also works adverbially with ni when you mean “first” or “first of all.”

最初のページを読んでください。
Saisho no pēji o yonde kudasai.

Please read the first page.

最初に名前を書いてください。
Saisho ni namae o kaite kudasai.

First, write your name.

最初から (saisho kara) also means “from the beginning,” especially when you are talking about a process or doing something over again.

最初からやり直そう。
Saisho kara yarinaosō.

Let us start over from the beginning.

Hajimete: “for the first time”

Hajimete looks close to hajime, but it does not name a beginning. It is an adverb for a first-time experience. Use it when someone does, sees, tries, or understands something for the first time.

日本に初めて行った。
Nihon ni hajimete itta.

I went to Japan for the first time.

初めて寿司を作った。
Hajimete sushi o tsukutta.

I made sushi for the first time.

Kaishi: a formal start

Kaishi is a formal noun meaning start, beginning, or commencement. You are likely to meet it in notices, schedules, event information, applications, and workplace language. With suru, it becomes the verb kaishi suru, “to begin” or “to commence.”

受付は9時に開始します。
Uketsuke wa kuji ni kaishi shimasu.

Registration starts at 9 o’clock.

For a casual conversation about beginning a movie or a hobby, hajime or a verb such as hajimeru will usually feel more direct.

Sutāto: “start” as a loanword

スタート (sutāto) comes from the English word “start.” It is familiar in sports, games, events, and product or project launches. It can sound more lively than kaishi, though it is not a replacement for every sentence with “beginning.”

試合がスタートした。
Shiai ga sutāto shita.

The match started.

A practical way to choose

Use this short map when you are writing or speaking:

• “from the beginning” → 初めから or 最初から, depending on the phrase and context;
• “the first page” or “first, do this” → 最初;
• “for the first time” → 初めて;
• “the event officially starts” → 開始 or 開始する;
• “the game starts” → スタート is a natural option.

Start with the noun or situation in front of you, then choose the Japanese word that fits it. That habit is more reliable than translating “beginning” word for word.