開始（かいし、kaishi）
- start

The Japanese word 開始 (かいし) means "start," "beginning," "commencement," or "initiation." It refers to the act of beginning something, the point at which something starts, or the process of initiating an activity, event, or process. It suggests the act of setting something into motion.

⚫︎ 授業の開始 Translation: The start of the class. ⚫︎ 会議を開始する Translation: To start a meeting. ⚫︎ プロジェクトの開始日 Translation: The start date of the project.

⚫︎ 開始 is a versatile word used in many contexts. ⚫︎ It can describe the moment an action begins. ⚫︎ It can indicate the starting point of a process. ⚫︎ It's appropriate in both formal and informal situations, though more formal language might be preferred in business or academic settings. ⚫︎ You can use the verb form 開始する (to begin/start) to describe the action of starting something.

⚫︎ The word 開始 is typically written using kanji and hiragana. ⚫︎ Kanji: 開始 ⚫︎ Hiragana: かいし ⚫︎ The okurigana (the suffix hiragana) for the verb form 開始する is “する” (suru). ⚫︎ There are no other common ways to write this word.

⚫︎ 始まる (はじまる) - to begin, to start (intransitive verb – something starts by itself) ⚫︎ 始める (はじめる) - to begin, to start (transitive verb – to start something) ⚫︎ スタート (sutāto) - start (loan word) ⚫︎ 発足 (ほっそく) - founding, launching (often used for organizations or projects) ⚫︎ 着手 (ちゃくしゅ) - starting work, embarking on (often used for projects or tasks)

⚫︎ 終了 (しゅうりょう) - end, completion, termination ⚫︎ 終わり (おわり) - end, finish ⚫︎ 終わる (おわる) - to end, to finish (intransitive verb – something ends by itself) ⚫︎ 終える (おえる) - to end, to finish (transitive verb – to finish something)

会議は午後2時に開始します。 ・Translation: The meeting will start at 2 p.m. ・Explanation: This sentence uses 開始します, the polite form of the verb "to start", to indicate the time the meeting will begin.

新しいプロジェクトが今週開始されました。 ・Translation: The new project was started this week. ・Explanation: This sentence uses the passive form of the verb 開始する to describe that the new project began.

⚫︎ 開始 is a compound word. ⚫︎ 開 (かい) means "open," "begin," or "start." ⚫︎ 始 (し) means "beginning," or "start." ⚫︎ It literally means "to open the beginning" or "to start something by opening it."