adverb
first of all; firstly; to begin with
Indicates the first step in a sequence or the most important thing to do before others.
まず、宿題を終わらせよう。
First of all, let's finish the homework.
料理を作る前に、まず手を洗ってください。
Before cooking, please wash your hands first.
adverb
probably; most likely; almost certainly
Expresses a high degree of likelihood or near certainty about a situation.
この計画はまず成功するだろう。
This plan will most likely succeed.
彼はまず来ないと思う。
I think he probably won't come.
adverb
more or less; on the whole; reasonably
Indicates that something is acceptable or satisfactory to a reasonable degree, though not perfect.
彼の日本語はまず通じるレベルだ。
His Japanese is at a level where he can more or less communicate.
この料理はまずまずの味だ。
This dish tastes reasonably good.
adverb
Used to set a temporary course of action or to move on from a discussion, often implying a provisional decision.
まずは、これで様子を見ましょう。
For now, let's see how it goes with this.
詳しいことは後で話すとして、まずは始めよう。
We'll talk about the details later; anyway, let's get started.
とりあえず also means 'for now' or 'first of all', but it emphasizes a temporary or immediate measure, often without deep consideration, while まず can imply a logical first step.
いちおう means 'more or less' or 'tentatively', similar to まず in sense 3, but いちおう often carries a nuance of 'just in case' or 'for form's sake', whereas まず is more about general acceptability.
The origin is uncertain, but it is a native Japanese adverb. The kanji 先 (before) and ず (negation) are ateji, and the word is not derived from them.