begin, start

About this kanji

The kanji 始, pronounced as "はじ" in its native reading and "シ" in its Sino-Japanese reading, primarily means "to begin" or "to start." It is often used as both a verb and in noun form. You can see it in compounds like 始まる (はじまる), meaning "to start" or "to begin," and 始める (はじめる), which means "to make something start." Another common compound is 開始 (かいし), which also means "start," often used in context like a project beginning. A useful note is that while 始まる focuses on something starting on its own, 始める emphasizes the act of starting something intentionally.

Built from

Example sentences

• 新しい仕事が始まる。

  A new job will start.

Meanings across languages

English

begin, start

Tiếng Việt

bắt đầu

日本語

始める, 始まる

한국어

시작하다

中文

开始, 启始

id

memulai, mengawali

th

เริ่มต้น, เริ่ม

es

comenzar, iniciar

fr

commencer, débuter

de

beginnen, starten

pt

começar, iniciar

Common compounds

• 始まるはじまるto start, to begin
• 始めるはじめるto start, to begin
• 開始かいしstart, initiation
• 初始しょしbeginning, initial stage