“hajime” vs. “hajimete”：Are You Thinking These Are The Same?
What is the difference between “初め (hajime) and 初めて (hajimete)? Are these the same meaning? After reading this, you would be answering this question. Let me introduce what their subtle differences are and how you correctly use them such as native speakers today!
初め (hajime)
In the beginning / 最初 / 첫 / lúc đầu
“初め (hajime)” mean “In the beginning” and which has been used as the meaning of “the first part of something or the start of something”. The basic way to use it is “初めは___です。(It is ___ in the beginning.)”, “初めの___”, etc. For instance, “初めは恥ずかしいです。(It is embarrassing in the beginning.)”, “初めの印象(a first impression)”, etc. The tips for using them is that “初め” is used as the meaning of “THE FIRST PART of something”. Everybody could use this both in daily conversations as casual and in business situations as formal such as “こうなるって初めに言ったじゃん。(I told you at the beginning that this was going to happen.)” and “こうなると初めに言いいましたよ。(I told you at the beginning that this was going to happen.)”. Furthermore, “初め” is sometimes used as the meaning of “For the first time or First”, like “初めて” such as “my first step” which you could say “初めの一歩” and “初めての一歩“. In this case, “初めての一歩” sounds polite than “初めの一歩“.
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Sample
yuka初めの印象は最悪だったよ。草 (You made a really bad first impression on me. hehe) (第一印象非常糟糕喔。哈) (첫 인상은 최악이었어. 하하.) (Ấn tượng đầu tiên khủng khiếp lắm ý. Haha) (hajime no inshō wa saiaku datta yo. kusa)
tatsuyaこうなるって初めに言ったじゃん。 (I told you at the beginning that this was going to happen.) (一开始就告诉你会这样啊。) (이렇게 된다고 처음에 말했잖아.) (Tôi đã nói với bạn trước đó rằng nó sẽ như thế này mà.) (kō naru tte hajime ni itta jan.)
yukaみんな初めは同じだよ！ (Everyone’s the same in the beginning!) (每个人一开始都是一样的！) (모두 처음에는 똑같아!) (Mọi người lúc đầu đều như nhau cả!) (min’na hajime wa onaji dayo!)
tatsuya初めはちょっと恥ずかしいかもしれないけどね。 (You might feel a little embarrassed in the beginning though.) (一开始可能会有点不好意思。) (처음에는 조금 부끄러울지도 모르겠지만.) (Lúc đầu thì có thể sẽ có chút ngại ngùng nhỉ…) (hajime wa chotto hazukashī kamo shirenai kedo ne.)
初めて (hajimete)
For the first time / 第一次 / 처음 / lần đầu tiên
“初めて (hajimete)” means “For the first time” and which has been used as the meaning of “something has never happened or been done before”. The basic way to use it is “___するのはこれが初めてです。(This is the first time ___.)”, etc. For instance, “日本語でコミュニケーションするのはこれが初めてです。(This is the first time to communicate in Japanese.)”, etc. The tips for using them is that “初めて” is used as the meaning of “a FIRST EXPERIENCE”. Everybody could use this both in daily conversations as casual and in business situations as formal such as “日本語でコミュニケーションするのはこれが初めてだよ。(This is the first time to communicate in Japanese.)” and “日本語でコミュニケーションするのはこれが初めてです。(This is the first time to communicate in Japanese.)”. Furthermore, “初めて” is used when a person does something for the first time. Lastly, “in the beginning part of the book” is “本の初め” and “to read the book for the first time” is “初めて本を読む”.
Sample
yuka初めて使ってみたよ。 (I tried it for the first time.) (我第一次使用。) (처음 사용해 봤어.) (Đây là lần đầu tiên tôi dùng thử đấy.) (hajimete tsukatte mita yo.)
tatsuyaサッカーをするのは初めてだよ。 (It is going to be my first time to play soccer.) (这是我第一次踢足球。) (축구를 하는 건 처음이야.) (Đây là lần đầu tiên tôi chơi bóng đá đấy.) (sakkā wo suru no wa hajimete dayo.)
yuka日本に初めて来たよ。 (This is the first time I’ve been to Japan.) (我是第一次来日本。) (일본에 처음으로 와봤어.) (Đây là lần đầu tiên tôi đến Nhật đấy.) (nihon ni hajimete kita yo.)
tatsuyaこんなにいっぱい本を買ったのは初めてだよ。 (This is the first time I have bought so many books.) (这是我第一次买了这么多书。)(이렇게 가득 책을 산 것은 처음이야.) (Đây là lần đầu tiên tôi mua nhiều sách như thế này đấy.) (kon’nani ippai hon wo katta no wa hajimete dayo.)
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