初めて（はじめて、hajimete）
- first time

The Japanese word 初めて (読み方: はじめて, romanization: *hajimete*) primarily means "for the first time," "the first time," or "initially." It indicates that something is happening or has happened for the first occasion. It can also imply a sense of novelty or lack of prior experience. The word can be used as an adverb or as part of a modifying phrase. The literal meaning of the kanji is “beginning”.

⚫︎日本へ[初めて]来た Translation: I came to Japan for the [初めて] first time. ⚫︎彼らは[初めて]一緒に映画を見た Translation: They watched a movie together for the [初めて] first time. ⚫︎[初めて]の経験 Translation: A [初めて] first-time experience.

⚫︎When describing a new experience or an event that is occurring for the first time. ⚫︎It's often used with the verb in the past tense to describe a past event that occurred for the first time. ⚫︎It can be used to set the stage or provide context by indicating that something is new. ⚫︎Can be used in both formal and informal conversations.

⚫︎It is typically written as 初めて in kanji and hiragana. ⚫︎The hiragana reading is はじめて. ⚫︎There are no major variations in okurigana. ⚫︎The kanji 初 means "first" or "beginning," and めてis a suffix that converts the root word to an adverb.

There aren't many direct single-word synonyms, but phrases conveying similar meanings include: ⚫︎初めての (hajimete no) - "the first" or "first-time" (when modifying a noun). ⚫︎最初 (saisho) - "the beginning" or "the first." (used in a different context)

⚫︎いつも (itsumo) - "always" or "every time". ⚫︎前は (mae wa) - "before"

[初めて]日本語を勉強しました。 ・Translation: I studied Japanese for the [初めて] first time. ・Explanation: This sentence describes the speaker's initial experience of studying the Japanese language.

このレストランに[初めて]来ました。 ・Translation: I came to this restaurant for the [初めて] first time. ・Explanation: This sentence explains that the speaker has never been to this restaurant before.

The word 初めて comes from the verb 始める (*hajimeru*), which means "to begin" or "to start". The kanji 初 (hatsu/sho) means "first" or "beginning". Adding the suffix て forms an adverbial phrase meaning “for the first time” or “at the beginning”.