ChiramiN4 kanji · 8 strokes
始 means begin
始
女 woman · 台 a stand
始Memory trick
A woman (女) stepping up onto the stand (台): to begin.
Memory trick: a picture to help you remember the kanji, not its history.
Meaning and readings
- Meanings
- commence, begin
- JLPT level
- N4
- Strokes
- 8
- School grade
- Grade 3 in Japan
Japanese (kunyomi) はじめる hajimeru
はじめる (hajimeru) is the Japanese word for this kanji. You use it when the kanji stands alone or has kana after it. Dictionaries call this the kun reading.
Other Japanese readings: はじまる hajimaru
From Chinese (onyomi) シ shi
シ (shi) came from Chinese with the character. You mostly hear it in words made of several kanji. Dictionaries call this the on reading.
Tap a reading to see when it's used. Why kanji have two kinds of reading: onyomi vs kunyomi.
Common word
始め はじめ · hajime
beginning, start
Built from
Tap a part to see the N5 and N4 kanji that use it.
女 Used in 48 kanji
See all 5 at N5 and N4Quick check
What does 始 mean?
Right: 始 means begin.Not quite: 始 means begin.In 始め, which reading does 始 use?
Right. 始め is read はじめ (hajime): 始 takes はじ, its Japanese reading, with め after it.Not quite. 始め is read はじめ (hajime): 始 takes はじ, its Japanese reading, with め after it.