始 means “begin”

はじめる · hajimeru

Also: commence

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

はじめる, はじまる

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

シ

JLPT N4 · Taught in grade 3 · 8 strokes

The story

A woman (女) and a raised platform (台): beginnings honored as birth itself. Every Japanese meal opens with いただきます and every endeavor with 始めましょう: let us begin.

Used in 始める (hajimeru, to begin), 始まる (hajimaru, to start), and 開始 (kaishi, commencement)

More from Motion & Change

• 終 end
• 止 stop
• 転 revolve
• 起 wake
• 去 leave
• 注 pour
• 自 oneself
• 回 times
• 動 move
• 集 gather
• 別 separate
• 引 pull

Learn 始 and more kanji free on Fuji Learning · All kanji

Readings from KANJIDIC2, © EDRDG, CC BY-SA.