始める

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Japanese

Kanji in this term
始
はじ
Grade: 3
kun’yomi
Alternative spelling
創める

Etymology

From Old Japanese, from Proto-Japonic *pansimay (“to begin”, transitive).

Development
Natural progression from Old and Classical Japanese 下二段活用 (shimo nidan katsuyō, “lower bigrade conjugation”) verbs ending in -u to modern Japanese 下一段活用 (shimo ichidan katsuyō, “lower monograde conjugation”) verbs ending in -eru. For the Old / Classical form, see the 始む entry.

Pronunciation

  • Tokyo pitch accent of conjugated forms of "始める"
Source: Online Japanese Accent Dictionary
Stem forms
Terminal (終止形)
Attributive (連体形) 		始める はじめる
Imperative (命令形) 始めろ はじめろ
Key constructions
Passive 始められる はじめられる
Causative 始めさせる はじめさせる
Potential 始められる はじめられる
Volitional 始めよう はじめよ​ー
Negative 始めない はじめない
Negative perfective 始めなかった はじめな​かった
Formal 始めます はじめま​す
Perfective 始めた はじめた
Conjunctive 始めて はじめて
Hypothetical conditional 始めれば はじめれ​ば

Verb

始(はじ)める • (hajimeru) transitive ichidan (stem 始(はじ)め (hajime), past 始(はじ)めた (hajimeta))

Japanese verb pair
active 始める
mediopassive 始まる
  1. to begin, start, initiate
    早(そう)朝(ちょう)から作(さ)業(ぎょう)を始(はじ)める
    sōchō kara sagyō o hajimeru
    to start work early in the morning
  2. 創める: to set up, create, establish, found
    洋(よう)装(そう)店(てん)を創(はじ)める ― yōsō-ten o hajimeru ― to open a clothing store
  3. (following the continuative of a verb) to start doing, begin
    歩(ある)き始(はじ)める ― arukihajimeru ― to start walking
    咲(さ)き始(はじ)める ― sakihajimeru ― to begin to bloom

Conjugation

Conjugation of "始める" (See Appendix:Japanese verbs.)
Katsuyōkei ("stem forms")
Mizenkei ("imperfective") 始め はじめ hajime
Ren’yōkei ("continuative") 始め はじめ hajime
Shūshikei ("terminal") 始める はじめる hajimeru
Rentaikei ("attributive") 始める はじめる hajimeru
Kateikei ("hypothetical") 始めれ はじめれ hajimere
Meireikei ("imperative") 始めよ¹
始めろ² 		はじめよ¹
はじめろ² 		hajimeyo¹
hajimero²
Key constructions
Passive 始められる はじめられる hajimerareru
Causative 始めさせる
始めさす 		はじめさせる
はじめさす 		hajimesaseru
hajimesasu
Potential 始められる
始めれる³ 		はじめられる
はじめれる³ 		hajimerareru
hajimereru³
Volitional 始めよう はじめよう hajimeyō
Negative 始めない
始めぬ
始めん 		はじめない
はじめぬ
はじめん 		hajimenai
hajimenu
hajimen
Negative continuative 始めず はじめず hajimezu
Formal 始めます はじめます hajimemasu
Perfective 始めた はじめた hajimeta
Conjunctive 始めて はじめて hajimete
Hypothetical conditional 始めれば はじめれば hajimereba
¹ Written imperative
² Spoken imperative
³ Colloquial potential

Antonyms

References

  1. ^ Martin, Samuel E. (1987) The Japanese Language Through Time, New Haven, London: Yale University Press, →ISBN
  2. ^ Hirayama, Teruo, editor (1960), 全国アクセント辞典 (Zenkoku Akusento Jiten, “Nationwide Accent Dictionary”) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Tōkyōdō, →ISBN
  • 2002, Ineko Kondō; Fumi Takano; Mary E Althaus; et. al., Shogakukan Progressive Japanese-English Dictionary, Third Edition, Tokyo: Shōgakukan, →ISBN.
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