Skip to main content
Gogaku

All N3 grammar

N3

〜をはじめ

Starting with, most notablymachine translation

FormationNoun (representative example) + をはじめ; modifying a noun: をはじめとする + noun

Noun + をはじめ puts forward the single most REPRESENTATIVE example and then extends to the whole group: 富士山をはじめ、美しい山がたくさんある (there are many beautiful mountains, most notably Mount Fuji). What comes before をはじめ must be the most prominent, first-to-mind member of the group mentioned in the following clause.

This is a somewhat formal pattern, common in introductions, speeches, and exam reading passages. When modifying a noun, use をはじめとする: アジアをはじめとする多くの国 (many countries, starting with Asia).

Distinguish it from はもちろん: はもちろん says "A goes without saying, and even B…" — stressing that A is a given; をはじめ simply takes A as the opening example of a long list. The sentence 両親をはじめ、家族みんなが賛成した evokes the whole family approving together, led by the parents.

Examples

Related patterns

All N3 grammarReport a content error