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最初 (さいしょ, saisho) Japanese meaning: first | Kotomora
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は
緊きん
張ちょう
し
て
い
た
が
、
すぐ
に
慣な
れ
た
。
I was nervous at first, but I soon got used to it.
The first train is at 5 a.m.
Usage patterns 最さい 初しょ に 〈 動どう 詞し 〉 to do something first, as the initial step
First, please wash your hands.
最さい 初しょ から 〈 動どう 詞し 〉 to do something starting from the very beginning
Could you explain it from the very beginning?
最さい 初しょ は 〈 形けい 容よう 詞し 〉 to be a certain way at first (before things change)
I was nervous at first, but I got used to it quickly.
Expressions 最さい 初しょ から 最さい 後ご まで from beginning to end; from start to finish; all the way through Related words· 12 初めて is an adverb meaning 'for the first time', focusing on a new experience, whereas 最初 refers to the order or beginning of a sequence.
始め is a noun for 'the start', often used in set phrases like 始めに, while 最初 is the more common word for 'first' in a sequence.
最初 broadly means 'the beginning' or 'at first' in time or sequence, while 一つ目 specifically labels the first item in an enumerated list.
第一歩 refers specifically to the first concrete action taken in a process, while 最初 is the general word for 'first' or 'the beginning' of anything.
Show 8 more 最初 is the common, everyday word for 'first/beginning', while 当初 is more formal and typically used for the initial stage of a plan or period in writing.
最初 is the everyday word for 'first/beginning' used in any context, while 冒頭 specifically points to the opening portion of a speech, document, or formal event.
最初 is a common standalone noun meaning "the very beginning," while 初 is mainly a prefix/suffix attached to another word to mean "first" (as in 初優勝, first victory).
Opposites 最初 means the beginning of something, while 最後 means the end or last part.
最初 means 'first' or 'beginning', the direct opposite of ラスト's 'last' or 'end'.
最初 means 'the first' or 'the beginning,' the direct opposite of 最終 which means 'the last' or 'the final.'
最初 means 'the first/beginning', the direct opposite of 最終的 which points to the final stage or outcome.
Etymology Compound of 最 (most) and 初 (first). The exact historical derivation is straightforward; the word has been used with this meaning since at least the Edo period.
て
始はじ
め
最初 is the general, neutral word for 'the first time' or 'the beginning' of anything, while 手始め specifically points to a deliberate first step taken to start an activity.
最初 simply means 'first' in order, whereas 皮切り implies that a chain of related events follows the first one.
最初 is a general word for 'the first/beginning' of anything, while 初回 specifically refers to the first installment or round of a recurring series or event.
最初 simply means 'first' in a temporal or sequential sense, whereas 真っ先 emphasizes acting or standing before everyone else, often with intent.
最初 refers strictly to the beginning of a time sequence, whereas 第一 can also mean first in rank or importance.
しき
別べつ
子し
original activity identifier