始める · ichidan verb
| Form | Positive | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| Dictionary | 始める | 始めない |
| Polite | 始めます | 始めません |
| Past polite | 始めました | 始めませんでした |
| Past | 始めた | 始めなかった |
| Te-form | 始めて | 始めないで |
| Desire | 始めたい | 始めたくない |
| Potential | 始められるalso 始めれる | 始められないalso 始めれない |
| Passive | 始められる | 始められない |
| Causative | 始めさせる | 始めさせない |
| Causative passive | 始めさせられる | 始めさせられない |
| Volitional | 始めよう | |
| Polite volitional | 始めましょう | |
| Imperative | 始めろ | 始めるな |
| Conditional | 始めれば | 始めなければ |
| Tara conditional | 始めたら | 始めなかったら |
ichidan verb, transitive verb
Only when written 始める
General transitive verb for starting an activity, event, or process. Often used with nouns like 仕事, 会議, 勉強, etc.
I will start a new job next month.
会議を始めましょう。
Let's begin the meeting.
ichidan verb, transitive verb
Used for founding or launching an organization, business, store, or society. 創める is a rare alternative kanji for this sense.
彼は駅前に小さなカフェを始めた。
He opened a small café in front of the station.
新しい会社を始めるには資金が必要だ。
You need funds to start a new company.
auxiliary verb, ichidan verb
start to ...; begin to ...
Only when written 始める
Auxiliary verb attached to the -masu stem of another verb, indicating the beginning of that action. Very common and productive.
雨が降り始めた。
It started to rain.
日本語を勉強し始めてから一年になる。
It's been a year since I started studying Japanese.
Let's go ahead and start the meeting.
I'm planning to open a café in front of the station.
It started to rain.
I'll start my new job from next week.
始める is a common transitive verb for starting something in general, while 取り掛かる is intransitive and specifically emphasizes getting down to a task at hand.
始める is the plain, general verb for beginning any activity, while 立ち上げる specifically evokes setting up something new like a business, project, or system.
始める is the ordinary, everyday auxiliary for 'begin to do', while 初める is a literary, old-fashioned equivalent found mainly in poetic or classical-style writing.
始める means to start or begin an action, the opposite of 仕舞う's sense of finishing or ending it.
beginning of things; starting something new · preparations for New Year's festivities (Dec 8 in Tokyo, Dec 13 in Kyoto) · resuming work after the New Year's vacation
first appearance of the season
first soft-rice meal of the New Year · first sexual intercourse of the New Year · loss of virginity
seeing for the first time; first sight
begin doing; start doing
resuming work after the New Year's vacation; first work of the year
begin to appear; start to come out
imperial archery ceremony (Heian/Kamakura) · first bow shooting of the year (military families)
first business day of the new year; reopening of offices after New Year's holiday
at first; to begin with; as a first step
starting to walk