Japanese

さいしょ
Meaning: first; beginning; outset
Part of Speech: Noun

Listen to pronunciation

Handwriting

最
初

Example sentences

The beginning is crucial.
何事も最初が肝心だ。
In everything, the beginning is essential.
私とて、最初からすべてを知っていたわけではない。
Even I didn't know everything from the start.
もう一度最初からやり直しましょう。
Let's start over from the beginning one more time.
最初は大変だが、何事も慣れだ。
It's tough at first, but everything is a matter of practice.
最初からやり直しだ。
We're starting over from the beginning.
初詣に行って、今年最初のおみくじを引いた。
I went for the first shrine visit of the year and drew my first fortune-telling slip.
居酒屋で最初に出てくるおつまみといえば、やはり枝豆だ。
Speaking of snacks that first come out at an izakaya, it has to be edamame.
源頼朝によって開かれた鎌倉幕府は、日本で最初の本格的な武家政権である。
The Kamakura Shogunate, established by Minamoto no Yoritomo, was Japan's first full-scale military government.
教授は講義の最初に、今日のテーマを概説した。
At the beginning of the lecture, the professor gave an overview of today's theme.

Usage Notes

Refers to the very start of something. Often paired with 'last' (最後).

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