The Meaning of hatsumimi [初耳] In Japanese

初耳
はつみみ
Romaji: hatsumimi N5

What does 初耳 mean?

Translation and Meaning

new to one’s ears, heard for the first time

Definition

What does 初耳 mean? It means something that is new to a listener’s knowledge, heard for the first time, often to express surprise at learning new information.

Type

Noun (na-adjective when used with だ/です)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • new information to me — hatsumimi
  • surprise at learning something previously unknown
  • casual reaction to novel facts, often used when someone realizes they didn’t know something

Etymology

初 first, beginning; 耳 ear; together they convey hearing something for the first time

Composition

  • 初 — first, beginning
  • 耳 — ear

Usage

Used in casual to semi-formal speech to react to newly learned information; commonly appears after someone shares surprising news and can stand alone as a short reaction or be embedded in a larger sentence about the information being new to the speaker.
💡 Tips
Mnemonic: associate the idea of ‘first’ (初) with ‘ear’ (耳) by picturing someone hearing something for the first time; the linked image helps recall that this phrase marks new information entering your awareness.

Variations

  • casual form: 初耳だ — hatsumimi da
  • polite form: 初耳です — hatsumimi desu

Example Phrases

  • 今朝 の 会議で 彼の 新しい 企画 が 初耳 だった。
    Kesa no kaigi de kare no atarashii kikaku ga hatsumimi datta.
    I heard about his new project for the first time in this morning’s meeting.
    Lista:
    • 今朝 (kesa) – this morning
    • の (no) – of / possessive
    • 会議で (kaigi de) – in the meeting
    • 彼の (kare no) – his
    • 新しい (atarashii) – new
    • 企画 (kikaku) – project/plan
    • が (ga) – subject marker
    • 初耳 (hatsumimi) – heard for the first time
    • だった (datta) – was
    「初耳」 means something heard for the first time; here it follows the subject with が and uses だった to show it was new information to me.
初耳