What does 初め; 始め mean?
初め; 始め is a Japanese noun meaning “beginning, start” in English. It can also be translated as “first (in line, etc.), origin, such as ...” depending on context. It is written as 初め; 始め in kanji, はじめ in hiragana, and hajime in romaji. This word is part of JLPT N5 vocabulary.
Example sentences
旅行の初めの二日間は雨降りだった。
The first two days of my trip were rainy.
この語学センターでは、英語をはじめ世界１５か国の外国語が学べる。
At this language centre, about 15 international languages are taught, including English.